Butterfly Kisses
by Angel-eyes56
Summary: Ianto Jones died at the hands of the 456 and his soul became trapped within the Rift but that wasn't the end of his story. Rather than being the end of Ianto's journey it was the beginning an exciting new adventure. Tony Stark and Steve Rogers have never been that close but when a child is discovered carrying their DNA, they are forced to get along in order to raise their son.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Torchwood, the Avengers or Doctor Who  
 **Beta:** RoyalLadyEmma

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 _"I love you, Ianto Jones."_

Those were the five most important words Ianto had ever heard and he knew he would carry them in his heart forever. They may have come at the last moment but Ianto finally knew that he was truly loved by Jack, that he wasn't second, third or even fourth best. He, Ianto Jones, Torchwood Archivist and proud Welshman, was first in Jack Harkness' heart. It didn't matter how briefly he may have held that spot, just knowing it was his gave him enough strength to do what was needed.

Jack would live, he would live forever. He wouldn't be trapped in the Rift and soon the pain of his loss would fade. Jack would move on and find someone else to love and as much as it hurt Ianto to be the bigger man, he did not want Jack to live with his guilt forever.

"Good-bye, Jack Harkness, I love you and I always will," Ianto whispered under his breath as he pressed the button on the bomb that would forever seal the Rift and forever separate him from the love of his life. There would be no reunion between them in the afterlife once Jack had achieved his final death, no happily ever after for two star-crossed lovers. With tears in his eyes and an aching heart, Ianto's last conscious act was to accept the fact that he would never lay eyes on Jack Harkness again.

Ianto Jones would be forever trapped in the Rift.

Letting his eyes flutter closed Ianto wanted Jack's face as he said those five precious words to be the last thing he ever saw. Heaven knows he'd been longing to hear the truth about Jack's feelings for almost two years! With his lover's handsome face firmly in his mind's eye Ianto released his last breath and let sweet oblivion wash over him. _'I love you, Jack.'_

However, in the what should have been the absolute darkness of nothing and nowhere, there was a light unlike anything Ianto had ever seen before and without warning, an unexpected and delicious warmth engulfed him, filling him to his very soul. A soft, melodic voice that reminded Ianto of his mother's before the sickness changed her whispered in his ear, _"Rest gentle, Ianto, you have suffered so much in your young life. I can only hope that my gift will bring you some happiness. Know this, brave soul, you will meet Jack again."_ A soothing almost hypnotic hum began playing and despite how hard he fought against it Ianto found himself drifting off into a deep and peaceful sleep.

Once again the TARDIS had taken on her Idris image, – _'I am rather fond of her, she has such beautiful fashion sense,'_ – and as she sat next to her sweet Welshman's sleeping form, Idris slowly ran her fingers through Ianto's soft locks. "Oh my darling, you are too young to have suffered so much and I know you have lost so much and so many. And now, like my Jack, you will always carry a piece of my heart within you.

Idris turned so that she could pull Ianto into her arms and she rested her hand on his chest, feeling the gentle rise and fall of his breathing. "I cannot change what has passed but I _can_ give you a new start. First I will place you with a family that will love you the way you always should have been." As she spoke a golden glow engulfed her and Ianto and before her eyes time began to roll back until the young man whose head was resting on her lap was nothing more than a small babe one year old sleeping soundly in her arms. Without raising her head, she chuckled, "You may come out of hiding now, I know you are there."

Appearing out of the shadows Loki grinned down at the peacefully sleeping face of the now de-aged Ianto Jones. "Oh he's adorable! I know just the two people to raise him, they're both so blind to their own feelings they could use a good swift kick in the pants to get them to start acting on those feelings."

A mischievous giggle escaped the TARDIS' perfectly-shaped human mouth; she had a feeling she knew exactly who the god was talking about and it really tickled her mischievous side. It was the all-important side of her normally oh-so-serious self that had allowed her lonely angel to kidnap her and who was all in with Loki's plan. She was sure that the two people Loki had chosen would take good care of her little one until it was time for him and Jack to be reunited.

She smiled down at the innocent babe in her arms; the two foolish men had yet to realise that they were soul-bonded and would remain so through the end of time. Jack had given his soul to Ianto as Ianto had with Jack and now, with the power of the Rift, Ianto would live forever at Jack's side. But the TARDIS had an especially soft spot in her heart for Ianto and she really wanted to do more for him than provide him with a future; she wanted to give him the childhood he had been so cruelly robbed of. This time around he would have a loving family who would nurture his spirit and care for him and then, when the time was right, she would bring Jack to Ianto and finally the two would be reunited.

Idris gazed at Loki with absolute seriousness in her brown eyes. "You will look after him when I cannot?" She would not trust Ianto's safety to anyone but Loki.

In that moment, Loki knew that he was being given a truly great gift; the TARDIS was bestowing her trust in him. "I will look after him, you have my word." Loki wasn't sure what it was about Ianto Jones that made him open his heart so willingly, but he'd warmed instantly to the young man. _'Maybe because he reminds me of me, so often overlooked in favour of the more demanding and forceful personalities, always forgotten and alone until needed for the most basic task and once that was done promptly forgotten again. To love someone and not have them notice you, to treat you as if you were completely invisible, and worse, to have to stand by and watch as their gaze was continually drawn to another.'_

Yes, Loki saw a lot of himself in Ianto Jones and having endured his own time trapped in a one-sided relationship, able to see the one he loved but not allowed to be a part of their everyday life, he found he could not allow Ianto to suffer as he had. _'And in maybe helping Ianto I can work on redeeming myself to the only one who truly matters to me.'_ It was Loki's deepest wish that the man who held his heart would someday love him in return.

The TARDIS smiled as she carefully handed Ianto over to Loki and her smile grew when she saw the tender way that Loki held the tiny child cradled against his chest. "Ianto will be loved by his new family and I promise that you shall gain the forgiveness your soul craves."

"But you cannot grantee that Thor will come to love me." The pure sadness reflected in Loki's eyes touched Idris deeply. She knew that he'd seen first-hand how deeply his brother loved his human, but in his heart, Loki knew his love would forever be one-sided.

Leaning forward the TARDIS brushed a gentle kiss across Loki's forehead. "Do not yet fret, my lost one, true bonds cannot be denied. Yes, Thor's love for Jane is real but she is not the one his soul truly calls for and nor is he the one whose soul calls to hers. Just give it time and soon the truth will be revealed."

The TARDIS knew – she'd always known – that Loki and Thor, much like Jack and Ianto, were destined to be together but she could not tell Loki how he and Thor would finally find their way to one another. The details were hazy even to her and that was because she tried never to see the future of gods. As powerful as she was she could only see bits and pieces of their future but she knew that the precious bundle in Loki's arms was an extremely vital key to it all. "I think it's time we take Ianto to his new family."

There was a large part of Loki that didn't want to give up Ianto; the small boy had awoken and lay calmly in his arms just looking up at him. Pure trust shone in his blue-grey eyes and it touched Loki so deeply because it had been a long time since anyone had looked at Loki like that. "Do we have to?" He just wasn't ready to part with Ianto just yet.

Favouring him with a knowing smile the TARDIS shook her head. "We can wait a little longer. Time is of no issue here."

Delighted by the opportunity to hold the baby for a while longer, Loki smiled down at Ianto as he let him grip onto his outstretched finger. His indulgent smile belied the serious intensity of his next words, "I promise you, Ianto, I swear to you that no one will _ever_ hurt you again." Like Idris, Loki knew all the horrible details of Ianto's original childhood, the mental, physical and emotional abuse that he'd endured at home as well as the relentless bullying he'd suffered at school.

* * *

Tony Stark was bored and when he was bored nothing good ever happened, but he was still recovering from the injuries he'd received after flying into a black hole to save the world, which meant that Pepper and JARVIS had drastically limited his lab time. In fact, until SHIELD's medical staff gave him the 100% all-clear, he wasn't allowed in his lab unsupervised; if Tony wasn't accompanied by a responsible adult – or AI – the lab's door was sealed, just in case he tried to sneak in on his own. That little touch was Pepper's idea because, "We are dealing with Tony Stark here!"

"It's not fair!" Tony mumbled under his breath as he kicked at the lab's table leg like a three-year-old. Even Dummy had more authority than him, it was just wrong. Every time he wanted to start a project, either Dummy or JARVIS told him it was too dangerous, or the tools were too sharp, or the worst of all, he just wasn't up to it yet.

"Sir, are you pouting again?" JARVIS asked.

"I do not pout and I do not speak to traitors," Tony huffed mutinously as he crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the far wall.

"If you like, Sir, I can list at least thirty incidents in which you did indeed pout. Would you like me to pull up the security footage to help jog your memory?" JARVIS asked in a tone that was just way too innocent to be accidental.

But Tony knew better and began grumbling under his breath, muttering threats about system upgrades, personality improvements and the removal of a certain someone's sarcasm program.

As Tony threatened JARVIS for not letting him have any fun and Dummy hovered behind him like a nervous shadow waiting to rescue them all from the next Tony-caused disaster, none of them felt the change in the air as time itself gradually slowed in Tony's lab until it stopped completely and they were frozen in place.

Time and energy flowed around her and the child in her arms with a golden glow; it was a part of her just as it was now a part of Ianto. The TARDIS hummed a gentle tune under her breath as she searched for a safe area to place the child but as she looked around at the chaos and clutter she found all around her, Idris shook her head in dismay. "How do you get anything done in a mess like this?" she asked Tony, forgetting for a moment that he couldn't hear her. She began methodically removing all the dangerous tools and sharp pieces of metal from the worktable until it was clear of everything that might find its way into a curious boy's hands or mouth.

Tucking the blanket tightly around Ianto, she sat the small child on the table and placed beside Ianto the stuffed bunny that Loki had conjured up for him and which the little boy had fallen in love with the moment he'd laid his eyes on it.

"I will miss you so much, my little angel." The TARDIS gently brushed back Ianto's soft curls and pressed a tender, loving kiss onto his forehead. "Please go easy on your fathers. Just remember they haven't had much experience with children so give them time to settle in before you wrap them around your little finger."

Ianto just smiled happily and gurgled nonsensical words as he played with his stuffed bunny but the TARDIS could see the gleam of mischief in his eyes. She was torn between laughing or and sighing over the future. _'It would seem that Ianto has picked up Loki's love of mischief. I'm afraid the Avengers and SHIELD won't know what hit them!'_

Idris looked down at Ianto as he batted at her with his bunny. "Just remember that your Uncle Loki and I will be watching over you and whenever you need us we'll be here," she promised him before turning her gaze onto the frozen Tony. "You better take good care of him, young man, or you will have to answer to me." She threatened him even though she knew Tony couldn't hear her; it just felt _good_ to do so.

Unable to delay the inevitable, Idris hugged the little boy who'd stolen her heart. "Be a good boy and when you've grown into a man, I'll bring you the one person in the Universe who holds the key to your heart." Next to Ianto she placed a simple note explaining everything that Tony needed to know. _'Let's just hope he notices it.'_

As the TARDIS' image of Idris dissolved back into the time stream the world once again began to move and life returned to normal.

"It's not like I'm going to blow up the place if I…" Tony found himself staring at his central work table. One moment it had been full of the many intricate pieces of his newest project and now it was completely cleared off and a tiny child was sitting in their place. Tony walked a little bit closer and blinked in surprise when the tiny human smiled brightly and blinked back at him. "Umm… JARVIS, why is there a baby sitting in the middle of my lab?"

"I have no clue, Sir."

"Not all that helpful there, JARVIS." Still eyeing the child with suspicion, Tony took a tentative step forward not quite sure what to do with someone so tiny. "Dummy, any ideas?"

Dummy shook his head vigorously. He knew _what_ a baby was as well as the purpose it served, he'd just never seen a real one before and although he maintained his distance, he was studying the small creature closely.

"JARVIS, call Pepper, now!" He was sure his ex-girlfriend would know what to do with the boy; she was a female, after all. As he waited for JARVIS to get in contact with Pepper looked him over; _'Should I be doing something with it?'_ he wondered. _'I'm not even sure_ _I know_ _how to hold a child!'_ For several moments Tony just stared at the child, although Ianto had lost interest in him and began playing with his bunny instead.

' _I think I should feel insulted that a stuffed animal is more interesting than me.'_ As he watched Ianto playing, he was quite tempted to smile but didn't, he frowned instead. _'This is why_ _Tony_ _Stark_ _doesn't do children;_ _they_ _have no_ _interest in_ _my awesomeness.'_ Tony shook his head disapprovingly; "You don't know what you're missing, kid."

"Miss Potts is on the line, Sir." JARVIS handed the telephone to him.

"Hey there, my friend," Tony tried to sound nonchalant.

A sigh came over the line followed by the rustling of papers. "What is it this time, Tony? I'm very busy trying to run your company."

Deciding that this time at least the direct approach was the best, Tony bluntly announced, "Pepper, there is a child in my lab."

Silenced reigned supreme for a moment and then, "I'm sorry, Tony; there must be something wrong with our connection because I'm sure I just heard you say you have a baby in your lab."

Tony held the phone out for a moment and scowled at it. "That is _exactly_ what I said. There. Is. A. Baby. In. My. Lab." He enunciated each word very clearly so there'd be no mistake the second time around.

"And…?"

"And I need you to do something with it, Pepper! I know absolutely nothing about babies!"

As Tony's voice grew louder and more upset the baby's big blue eyes filled with tears and to then, Tony's abject horror, the baby began to cry. Great gulping sobs filled the lab as Ianto stared at Tony miserably.

"Pepper, do something!" Tony yelled desperately, trying to be heard over the baby's howls.

"Tony! It's a baby; it's not going to blow up! Now for heaven's sake, pick him up and comfort him." Pepper issued her orders in a voice as hard as steel. She hadn't believed Tony when he said there was a child in his lab, sure that he was trying to get back at her for limiting his activities, but now that she could hear the baby she instinctively fell into mother-mode.

Shuddering Tony remembered why it was not wise to anger this particular redhead or any of the redhead's he knew, in fact. "Right, picking up the baby this very moment," after setting the phone down on the table and taking a deep breath Tony approached the crying toddler as if he was a time bomb about to go off. Pretending that they weren't shaking, he slid his hands under the tiny armpits and lifted the child in the air. "There, there, let's stop with the tears," Tony cooed in what he hoped was a soft and reassuring voice. "Think manly thoughts, kid, like puppies and robots and fast cars."

Somehow he succeeded because the loud sobbing slowed to tiny whimpers and for the next few moments Tony and the child just stared at one another. The tears became sniffles that eventually stopped completely when Tony brought the child to rest against his chest. Trying not to be obvious about it, because JARVIS and Dummy were both watching him, Tony bent his head, irresistibly drawn to sniff Ianto's head, and he was struck by his sweet, clean _baby_ smell. Against his will touch, macho Tony Stark smiled and snuggled the baby closer to his chest.

A piece of white paper caught his attention. "Whose uses paper anymore?" Tony muttered under his breath as he shifted Ianto just enough to get one hand free so he could reach out to grasp it. The sheet felt odd in his fingers, he was so used to using data pads and keyboards. It took a deft shake to unfold the paper and as he read the words written there, his mouth dropped open in absolute shock.

' _His name is Ianto and he is your son, Mr Stark. Take good care of him.'_

Tony could only stare in horror at the note; his brain was screaming at him, _'Are you kidding me? I can't be a_ _father!'_ He wasn't mentally mature enough to be responsible for a dog, let alone a child. _'Why else do I have maintenance-free robots and AIs?'_ So as usual, Tony did the only thing he could do, he looked around, located the phone and roared as loudly as he could, "Pepper!"

"Oh, really, Sir!" JARVIS snorted sarcastically as Ianto immediately jerked violently and burst into ear-splitting shrieks of shock, fear and anger.

Pepper Potts loved Tony, really she did, just not enough to stay in a relationship with him, not when despite both their best efforts it just wasn't meant to be, not when both of them had another that they and their hearts longed for. Looking back on their time together, Pepper didn't know who Tony thought he was fooling besides himself and Steve when it was so clear that he's a little in love with the legend himself. In her heart, Pepper had always known that there was no way she could compete with Steve Rogers; she'd often wondered what it would take to get either man would act on the obvious sexual tension between them because quite frankly, everyone around them would be so much happier.

Through the receiver, Pepper could hear the baby screaming again. "What is it now, Tony?" Already resigned to the fact that once again thanks to Tony her day was shot, she was in the middle of packing her things and rearranging her schedule; she wondered what new crisis Tony was experiencing now after only a few seconds of silence.

"There's a note here saying he's my son!" Tony's shrill panicky voice came over the line.

The sheaf of papers in Pepper's hand fell from her loose grip onto her desk and then went cascading to the floor. "Your son? You have a son? Tony!" She wasn't sure if she was sad, happy or jealous of the news.

Tony stared in shock at the boy lying in his arms and shrieking, his cute face all red and blotchy while his little fists beat against Tony's chest. "I didn't know I have a son! I have no idea how this happened!" Again there was a derisive snort from JARVIS but Tony ignored him. "Help me, Pepper! What should I do?" Tony was a gifted genius when it came to cutting-edge technology, he could easily seduce and play other people to his will, but when it came to children he was at a total loss of what to do.

"Remain calm, Tony; I'm on my way. I'm going to call Bruce and see if he can meet us at the tower; hopefully he can help shed some light on just who your young guest is." Slipping her laptop into her case and gathering up her jacket, she paused as a thought came to her. "Oh and, Tony?"

"Yeah?" Tony was desperately bouncing the baby – well, jostling him was a better description of the motion Ianto was making – trying to calm him down and he missed the warning tone of her voice.

"That child had better not still be anywhere _near_ your lab; it's not safe for a baby!" Pepper growled menacingly.

Knowing that tone all too well Tony began to very hastily make his way out of his lab, and he had to bite his tongue to keep from retorting that _"I_ _may not know much about children but even I_ _know that a child doesn't belong in_ _my lab!"_ but he didn't because he wasn't quite out the door yet. He glanced down at the baby in his arms and couldn't help but smile; at some point Ianto had stopped crying and his blue eyes were taking in everything around him with childlike awe.

The look of wonder on the little boy's face made Tony's heart fill with joy and his own smile appeared on his face; he had to admit that Ianto was kind of adorable. _'And if he turns out to be my son then I would expect nothing less than that.'_ Once he was safely out of the lab and in the hallway, he announced, "We're heading for the living room. I'm not completely hopeless, Pepper; I know a lab is no place for a child."

Reaching the living room Tony faced a new problem; it was a very masculine room, with books everywhere and lots of heavy furniture. Unsure of what to do and since there was no children's toys anywhere in his tower, _'Well Barton might have a few but I'm not about to expose Ianto to that death trap.'_ The team had learned the hard way that Clint liked to booby-trap his room, not with anything _really_ harmful but Tony's skin had been Smurf-blue for a week after triggering one of Clint's traps. With a stroke of desperate genius, Tony did the only thing he could think of to keep Ianto entertained, "JARVIS, find some cartoons that Ianto can watch."

"Right away, Sir." JARVIS turned on the TV to one of the children's networks dedicated to programming for young children.

Not knowing if he should place Ianto on the ground or not – what if he fell over or worse, what if he crawled away –Tony chose to sit down on his couch with Ianto still curled up against his chest. He kept glancing back and forth between the TV and Ianto, watching with fascination the way Ianto's eyes were glued to the television following the characters' movements. He had no idea what was on, it looked like some kind of show about building stuff which was a perfect show for the son of Tony Stark. _'That_ _is if he is_ _my son.'_

"JARVIS, any word on when the others should be back?" Tony didn't want to chance of them disturbing Ianto; he could see that the little boy's eyes were growing heavy and he knew that he'd soon have a sleeping baby in his arms.

"Unclear, Sir. Agents Barton and Coulson are on assignment and their return is uncertain; Thor is with Doctor Foster and should be back later this evening. Captain Rogers and Agent Romanoff should be back once they've finished their meeting with Director Fury," JARVIS informed him with his usual efficiency.

"One thing, JARVIS, Legolas and Super Agent aren't really on assignment; they took a romantic little get-away. They just said it was an assignment so SHIELD would have to pay for it," Tony corrected his AI. Not that he could blame them, it had been hard on everyone when they'd believed Agent Phil Coulson to be dead but no one knew how much harder Clint took his passing. From the moment they'd learned that Coulson was alive and well not one of the team rested until they'd discovered where Fury had hidden Coulson away.

Faced with the combined wrath of the Avengers, Fury proved that he deserved the title of Director and he did the smart thing: he informed them which hospital Phil was being treated in. Tony hadn't wasted any time in arranging Coulson's transfer to a room in the tower that JARVIS and Dummy had quickly prepared, a room that he quickly learned would be shared with Clint. Unbeknownst to anyone else on the team, but Natasha, the two of them had been involved for some time which explained why Clint really didn't react well to his partner's fake death no matter how well it worked out in the end.

Shaking off his thoughts, Tony glanced down and saw that as he'd predicted, Ianto was sound asleep, cuddled against his chest like he belonged there. Feeling oddly content, Iron Man settled in and started paying attention to the TV and soon, despite it being a children's show, Tony found himself be drawn into the storyline. Of course being the technological genius he was, he soon began making comments – quiet comments –about how the work would never hold up in the real world.

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Arriving at the tower several hours later Pepper smiled when she heard a familiar motorcycle and car pulling into the driveway behind her. "Thank you, Happy." Pepper climbed out of the car and smiled at the driver she and Tony shared before turning to face the new arrivals. "Hello Steve, Bruce; thank you for coming."

Bruce smiled brightly at Pepper; he rather liked the redhead and was in constant awe of how easily she could handle Tony. "It's no problem; I was on my way back." If asked, Bruce would readily admit that he was more than a little curious to know all about the child that Tony claimed he found in his lab.

Steve furrowed his eyebrows together and like the leader he was he asked, "What's going on?"

Pepper smiled up at him sweetly. "Nothing to worry about or at least I don't think so. It would seem that Tony found a child in his lab this morning; apparently, he just appeared out of the blue with a note saying _'he's your son_ _'_." Walking and talking, Pepper explained the situation as she watched with a raised eyebrow and a growing smirk as the living legend known as Captain America tripped over his own two feet.

Trying his hardest to still look cool even though he'd just tripped and fallen into a bank of shrubbery, an obviously dazed Steve stared at her not sure if he'd heard right. "Tony has a son?" He wasn't sure why he felt so disappointed; okay, so Tony had a child with someone else, which clearly mean that what he felt for Tony was and would remain completely one-sided.

Both Pepper and Bruce heard Steve's pure disappointment in his tone and the sheer devastation in his eyes but they wisely chose not to say anything. All they could do was hope that the two men saw sense and realised that they were in love with one another. "We're not sure if he really _is_ Tony's son, that's why I asked Bruce to come along and do a DNA test to see if it's true or not." Pepper wasn't sure if her attempt to reassure Steve had achieved its goal so she decided to move the subject off of Tony's possible son.

"Where's Natasha, I'd have thought she would have come back with you?" and as soon as she finished speaking Pepper could have kicked herself right in the ass. When she saw the knowing looks that appeared in both Bruce and Steve's eyes, the only thing she could think of was, _'Oh dear Lord, I'm turning into Tony.'_

Luckily Steve and Bruce weren't the kind to tease Pepper and Steve just smiled kindly at the fiercely blushing redhead. "She had to stay behind; Fury had a last minute mission for her."

Pepper's heart clenched as it always did when ever any of them got sent into danger but it was always worse when it was Natasha. _'Please stay safe, Natasha.'_

Steve knew the look in Pepper's eyes all too well; he'd seen it may times in the eyes of his fellow soldiers' loved ones when they feared he or she might not come home. "If this isn't a practical joke and there really is a child in there then I think we better rescue Tony from him," he suggested. As much as it pained him to think about Tony having a child with someone else – which he knew was irrational, since he couldn't physically have a baby with him – he was rather looking forward to seeing how Tony acted around a child.

"Or save the poor kid from Tony!" Bruce tried to lighten the atmosphere, and luckily the group laughed, including Steve.

Entering the Avenger Tower the group thought they were ready for anything, but the sight that greeted them would have melted anyone's heart. Lying stretched out on the living room couch Tony was sleeping soundly with his arms wrapped protectively around the small child who was using his chest as a pillow. Steve was the most effected by the sight of the man he loved cradling a little boy and he felt his heart swell with emotion.

"JARVIS, please tell me that you are recording this," Pepper whispered; it was just too precious a scene not to have on record. _'Oh Tony, I really hope he is your son, I can see that you already love him so very much.'_

"Of course I am, Miss Potts," JARVIS actually sounded insulted. "I started recording the moment they fell asleep." He matched the volume of her voice perfectly.

Pepper shook her head. "I should have never doubted you, JARVIS, please make sure you forward a copy to Natasha, Phil and Clint."

"Of course, Miss Potts. I have already sent copies to everyone as there is no doubt that once he awakens Mr Stark will erase all traces of the footage," JARVIS wisely informed Pepper.

"A very good idea, JARVIS, thank you. I appreciate you taking care of that for me." There was no way Pepper was going to pass us a priceless blackmail opportunity, not when she could use it to 'convince' Tony to finally show up to his own board meetings once in a while.

"Should we wake…"

"Shhh…" Pepper put her finger to her lips and glared at Bruce.

"Sorry," he whispered back, "should we wake them up or just let them sleep?" Bruce asked not sure if he wanted to disturb the adorable scene that was happening right before them.

Steve shook his head a soft smile playing on his lips. "No, I think it's better if we let them sleep; someone so little needs his daily naps." The sight of Tony sleeping with a small child on his chest was an image that Steve knew he would always keep close to his heart no matter what happened between them. _'I need to draw this,'_ he thought. _'Something as special like this_ _needs_ _to be_ _captured on paper_ _.'_

Pepper smiled sweetly at the sleeping pair; knowing Tony as well as she did there was no doubt in her mind that it was his first chance to sleep in days. "I think Steve has the right idea. I know from experience that when Tony crashes he really crashes and nothing short of a disaster will wake him up." _'You know, Tony,_ _I hope he does turn out to be your son. I think it would be good for you to have someone who will love you completely.'_

A small smile graced Bruce's face as he watched the small boy shift in his sleep and Tony's arms automatically tighten around the boy keeping him safe. "So, who's hungry? I know I could go for a snack."

Pepper's stomach let out a little growl at the mention of food. "That would be heavenly! It's been one disaster after another today and I haven't had the time to eat." Since the incident in New York with the aliens everyone was clamouring for Stark to start commercially promoting their newest weapons. _'Seriously I should just put a giant billboard above Stark Enterprise and maybe the Avenger Tower declaring that Stark Enterprise is not in the weapons business! It would certainly save me from having to give the same damn speech over and over again.'_

It was so mentally tiring repeating herself time and again to all the money-hungry corporations and revenge-driven despots that bombarded her office daily with demands for munitions contracts. No one would believe that despite the recent alien invasions neither Tony Stark nor his company were going to be getting back into the business of weapons development, manufacture and distribution any time soon. _'And that certainly can't happen when Tony wants to get into Captain America's pants! It would be a little awkward if Tony was suddenly back in the weapons trade.'_

Ever the gentleman Steve opened the door to the hallway and offered Pepper his arm. "May I escort you, Miss Potts, to the kitchen where I can whip you up something to eat?" he asked with his charming boyish smile on his face.

 _'_ _If Tony wasn't head over heels for you and I didn't have feelings for someone else I would snatch you right up, Mr Rogers; a gentleman and a_ chef, _how could one man be so perfect!'_ Pepper actually let out a dreamy sigh as she happily slipped her arm into Steve's and then when she realised what she'd done, she quickly disguised it as a small cough. "That sounds wonderful, thank you, Steve, and what have I told you about calling me Miss Potts?" Pepper asked while raising an eyebrow. Steve was adorable but being called her Miss Potts made her feel old.

A faint blush painted Steve's cheeks as he led the group out of the living room; he still wasn't used to being praised or to gaining the attention of such a beautiful woman. "It's no problem, I'm happy to do it… Pepper."

"Do you think we should order some baby food? The little guy is going to get hungry sooner or later and I doubt anything we eat would be good or safe for someone so young." Bruce spoke up suddenly. "And are kids that age – how old is he anyway? Is he potty-trained or do we need diapers too?"

"It has already been taken care of, Mister Banner; I have taken the liberty of ordering everything a baby could need." JARVIS disembodied voice informed them. "I believe the young man is approximately one year old."

"That was good thinking, JARVIS, thank you for that." Pepper couldn't believe she hadn't thought to order anything before leaving the office but she was in such shock that it just slipped her mind. All she could think about was that she needed to see proof that Tony wasn't pulling a fast one over on her.

"It was my pleasure, Ma'am." JARVIS nodded his head. "Deliveries of appropriate food and toiletries, a crib with bedding and sleepwear are scheduled for this afternoon and this evening. Additional clothing and a selection of toys, both educational and playful, will arrive tomorrow morning."

"Damn, you really do think of everything!" Steve was truly impressed by the AI's organisational skills.

"We're also going to need to baby-proof the entire tower before he starts moving around on his own cos even if the little boy isn't his son I don't think Tony's going to be willing to give him up." Whipping out her PDA, Pepper began making a list of everything that needed to be done. "This means that Clint is actually going to have to leave his bow and arrows in the training room for a change," Pepper muttered under her breath. She was rather tired of nearly sitting on pointy arrowheads because Clint simply left them lying around instead of putting them away properly.

She looked up from her device and speared the men around her with a determined glint in her eye. "The lab needs to be secured at all times, no more leaving the door open while you go to the bathroom, and you're going to start leaving all weapons in your vehicles until we can install a weapon's locker at the front door."

Steve and Bruce shared a long-suffering look as Pepper unlinked her arm from Steve's and continued to make notes on her PDA while muttering under her breath. "Do you think it would save us all the pain that's sure to come if we just volunteer _now_ to help baby-proof the tower?" Bruce asked as they watched Pepper disappear into the kitchen.

"Probably because you know that Natasha is going to be the first person Pepper recruits and together those two redheads are downright scary. I think it would be a wise idea to offer our help now; that way we might be able to pick the things we want to do." Steve shivered lightly at the idea of Pepper and Natasha double-teaming them, a fact that happened more often than Steve would like. "You know I'm glad that they're on our side, cos if the two of them put their heads together they'd be ruling the world in no time."

Bruce shuddered along with Steve; that was a truly scary thought. "Just think how much scarier they'll be when they're finally a real couple," Bruce commented.

Both men trembled violently at the thought but they both knew that it was coming. "That's terrifying we'll just have to learn to live with it." Steve wanted to see his friends happy and if they ended up being the scariest couple alive then he would give them his blessing. "We better catch up to Pepper, I think Tony will want some say in what we should be getting his son." Steve was pleased that he didn't stumble over the word 'son'.

"Having a child won't change Tony, you'll see; he'll still be the same adorable jerk we all love and hate." Bruce didn't need to see the worry on Steve's face to know that he was concerned about how Tony would change if the little boy turned out to be his son.

Casting another glance back at the living room door, behind which the man he loved lay sleeping with a toddler on his chest, Steve couldn't help but smile. "No, I think Tony _will_ change and that's a good thing, he clearly already cares for the child and I think fatherhood will suit Tony."

Bruce had to agree with Steve's observation; the simple fact that he was protecting the boy even in his sleep was proof enough that Tony was already changing and for the better. For as long as he'd known Tony he'd never seen such a contented look on the man's face. "We should let them sleep for as long as they can while we wait for the arrival of the supplies that we're going to need and then we'll make sure that little guy has something good to eat. Speaking of food, let's go get our own lunch, okay?"

Giving one last longing look at the living room door – he'd give anything to go back in there, pull a chair up next to the couch and then just sit and watching Tony sleep – Steve allowed himself to be led away by Bruce.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 _An hour later_

Waking up to the unfamiliar sensation of a light weight on his chest Tony glanced down to see a much, _much_ younger and smaller body than he was used to finding from his bed partners curled up on his chest. In a flash everything came back to him, _'His name is Ianto and he is your son'._ Tony's heart started thudding loudly in his chest and his brain began whirling frantically in his head. _'Think, Stark, think! A baby takes nine months, and this kid looks…'_ Tony lifted his head and studied as much of Ianto as he could see; _'… like he's at least a year old, maybe a little more.'_

Tony's brow furrowed as he tried to remember what he was doing – " _Who_ I was doing is more like it!" he joked quietly to himself – roughly two years ago and he came to one irrefutable conclusion:

Pepper Potts was the only woman he'd made love to in nearly three and a half years.

Knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that Pepper had never teen pregnant, "That means Ianto isn't my son after all," he concluded sadly and he was truly amazed to find that that fact really upset him. Until that moment, he had been looking very forward to being a father, to raising a child to manhood, and maybe, just maybe, sharing those responsibilities with one special man.

Ianto was sleeping soundly trusting his newly discovered father to keep him safe and despite his newly realised truth, the feeling of the little body beneath his hands sent a feeling of warmth throughout Tony's chest. Gently brushing the lock of curled hair out of Ianto's face Tony stared at the peacefully sleeping face all the while wondering, _'So little guy, how long are you going to sleep?'_ While part of him wasn't used to sitting still for very long and was quite anxious to get up and do something, the rest of him didn't want to disturb the sleeping child. He wanted to cherish the time he had left with Ianto before they turned him over to the proper authorities and that thought sent a sharp stab of pain through his heart.

Tony didn't have long to wait before his unusual sleeping partner awoke. Between adult Ianto sealing himself into the Rift and then being miraculously brought to his new home, child Ianto was a hungry and he let the world know all about it when his stomach let out a growl loud enough to startle the little boy from his sleep.

Sleepy Ianto's blue eyes fluttered open in surprise as the loud noise pulled him from his peaceful dreams, and Tony watched with undisguised delight as Ianto's little button nose scrunched up as he tried to block out the noise that had disturbed his sleep.

Carefully cradling the little body, Tony twisted around and arranged them so he was sitting up and Ianto was still resting against his chest. Tony couldn't help but smile as Ianto's blue eyes grew wide and he looked down at his tummy as it rumbled once again. The look on Ianto's face made it clear that he could not believe that such a loud noise was coming from him. "I think someone's hungry; yes, I do!" He tickled Ianto's tummy and chuckled when Ianto giggled loudly and squirmed in his arms. "You like that, huh?" Tony danced his fingers across Ianto's little belly again and laughed right along with Ianto.

"Come on, you; let's get some food in you before your stomach tries to eat us." Shifting Ianto a bit, Tony got smoothly to his feet, slid him around to his hip and then headed towards the kitchen bouncing Ianto along as he walked. "I just hope I have something for you to eat little guy." _'I must have bananas or an apple or something like that lying around.'_

Tony froze as he walked pushed open the door, walked into the kitchen and found Bruce, Pepper and Steve all milling around. They didn't even notice that he'd arrived until Ianto, who apparently didn't like being ignored, let out a little coo designed to gain everyone's attention. In mock exasperation Tony sighed as he glanced down at Ianto. "You just couldn't stay quiet, could you, little man?"

Tony wasn't sure and everyone else thought he was crazy when he brought it up later, but he saw a glint of mischief in those blue-grey eyes. Tony's breath caught in his throat; not only did they appear to carry the wisdom of the Universe in them, but the look in Ianto's eyes was very familiar to him, it was the same look he got whenever he was going to start causing trouble. His thoughts were proven true when Ianto let out a small cry, he was hungry, damn it, and he wanted food, _now!_

Something maternal within Pepper snapped and she rushed over to Tony and snatched the small boy from his arms. "There, there, little guy, I know you're hungry," she cooed softly as she gently bounced Ianto up and down.

Startled by the sudden change of venue and unsure of what was going to happen next, Ianto glanced at the strange woman holding him and then back at the man he felt safe with. To Ianto's little brain there was no contest; he let out a tiny distressed whimper, arched his back to get away from Pepper and with eyes filled with years, he held out his arms imploringly to Tony.

The other three could only stare in shock as Tony immediately swooped in and reclaimed Ianto, holding him firmly against his chest. He relished the feeling of Ianto snuggling into his arms and gurgling to himself with satisfaction. "There, there, kiddo, no need to cry, Ianto, Tony's got you." He carefully used his thumb to brush away the single fat tear that rolled down Ianto's cheek. "Okay, now I know Pepper can be a little scary but she's really a nice lady when she's not yelling at me for missing the boring meetings." Ianto looked over at Pepper and studied her for a moment before reaching up and patting the older man's face with his chubby little hand as if to say, "I'll trust you on this one, Tad".

The others watched with barely concealed amusement as Tony began making silly faces and nonsensical noises at Ianto and they could see how inordinately pleased the man was when Ianto let out a peal of musical laugh and clapped his hands together in delight. The movement of his fingers caught Ianto's attention and as he opened and closed them, he examined them with an intensity that reminded the others of Tony when he was in the middle of a project before deciding that his tiny fist looked good enough to eat. With a throaty little chortle, Ianto curled his fingers tightly and attempted to shove his fist into his mouth.

"Whoa, little guy! I know you're hungry but there's no reason to resort to cannibalism! We'll get you something to eat." Gently Tony removed Ianto's fist from his mouth paying no attention to the string of drool that came with it. "Now, what do I have that we can feed a baby?" He looked at the others hoping they'd have a suggestion.

"Sir, the pantry is fully stocked with a variety of baby food and there is also a crib, rocking chair, a playpen, some clothing and selection of basic baby essentials upstairs. It should be enough to tide us over until further deliveries arrive tomorrow morning," JARVIS' disembodied voice announced. "I have taken the liberty of setting up the young master's nursery in the bedroom across from yours. You will be close enough to respond to any night-time problems while still maintaining your personal privacy." If anyone noticed the note of smugness in his words, they wisely said nothing.

Ianto gave a little start at the voice coming out from nowhere and his blue eyes glanced around curiously, trying to figure out where the man was hiding. Unable to find him, the little boy turned to Tony for guidance.

"That's just JARVIS, little guy; he's a voice in the ceiling. He can't hurt you so pay no attention to him," Tony explained.

"Tony, he's a baby; he doesn't understand any of that," Pepper chided Tony gently although she found his easy interaction with Ianto quite endearing.

In response Tony covered Ianto's left ear with his free hand and pressed his head against his chest to block the other ear before turning his body to shield Ianto from Pepper's words. "Don't you listen to your Aunty Pepper, Ianto; you're my son and you can understand me perfectly, can't you?" He deliberately ignored the little voice that reminded him that Ianto wasn't – couldn't be – his son. As he stared into Ianto's blue eyes Tony knew that he didn't imagine the flash of sharp intelligence that appeared in Ianto's eyes for a moment. _'Who are you really, Ianto?'_

While Tony and Ianto were having their staring contest neither noticed how the other three stood frozen in place at the way Tony causally called Ianto his son. Even without a DNA test to verify paternity, it would seem that he'd already accepted Ianto as his own flesh and blood.

Careful not to let the others see the look on her face, Pepper stared sadly at Tony's back. _'Oh Tony, for your sake I hope that somehow, some way, Ianto really is your son.'_ While Steve and Bruce had been divvying up some of the baby-proofing chores, she'd been doing some quick mental calculations and she'd come up with the same conclusion that Tony had earlier. Unless Tony had been seeing someone that no one else knew anything about, there was no way Ianto could be Tony's son and that knowledge broke her heart.

She had never seen Tony take to someone so quickly and so naturally. It was clear to even the most casual observer that Ianto was already completely in awe of Tony and she knew that it would break both their hearts if miracles didn't exist and Tony was really, truly not Ianto's father. _'But if Tony's not your father, then who is, where did you come from and how on earth did you get into Tony's lab?'_ It was actually the last part of the question that bothered Pepper the most.

Ianto couldn't walk yet much less write the note that came with him, any more than he could know the entry codes for the main gate, the front door and the lab door. Those facts all meant that the Tower had been invaded by an unknown entity, although clearly not an evil one. Bad guys didn't play stork and deliver babies, at least not on Earth. _'Does that mean you're an alien, Ianto?'_ Pepper wanted to laugh at that thought, but couldn't; she'd seen too many bizarre and inexplicable events to rule it out.

"So… his name is Ianto, huh?" Bruce asked breaking the silence that came over the kitchen.

Absent-mindedly Tony nodded his head. "That's what the note said," he confirmed and then he glanced up at the ceiling. "Speaking of that note, JARVIS, did you find anything on it that might help us?"

"No, Sir; I have run it through every test possible. There are no fingerprints, no foreign substances and no watermark, and I have not been able to identify its manufacturer."

Ianto stared in silent fascination as the ceiling as JARVIS spoke, and Tony was positive that there was a knowing smile dancing across his lips.

Tony huffed in frustration. "Have you found anything that can explain how someone got in to my home and my lab totally unseen?"

"I have not, Sir; nothing has shown up on any of the system scans I have run. It appears Sir, that Master Ianto simply appeared in your lab," JARVIS explained.

"This is ridiculous! I want to know who could have gotten past JARVIS and me! This tower has better security then SHIELD, for Christ's sake! It's…" Tony interrupted himself when he heard Pepper clear her throat loudly. "What!?"

"Language, Tony." Pepper nodded in Ianto's direction. "Little pitcher, big ears."

Tony stared at her for a second, then looked at Ianto and an uncharacteristic blush turned his cheeks a bright red. "Oh, yeah," he murmured. "Young man, you did _not_ just hear your daddy use a bad work, all right?"

Ianto looked at Tony and with a cheeky grin he nodded his head, as though saying, "Okay, Tad, we'll pretend you didn't say that." Tony got the very distinct impression that his own son was merely humouring him.

With a quick mental shake, Tony returned to the topic at hand; "It is not possible that anyone could get in here undetected and it's not possible that they got out without leaving some sort of trace, somewhere. If they got in once, they could get in again, which makes them a potential danger to Ianto." Without realising it, Tony had pressed Ianto closer to him, instinctively protecting him from harm. "JARVIS, beef up security; I'm not taking any chances when it comes to Ianto's safety." Tony scowled at the idea of the child in his arms being in any danger.

"I will continue to investigate, Sir," JARVIS reassured his creator. "Now initiating security protocol Wolf 739."

There was no noticeable difference in that anyone could detect, but Tony immediately relaxed his grip on Ianto and blew out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. "Thank you, JARVIS."

"Do not worry, Sir. I will not allow anything to happen to young Master Ianto."

Steve crossed the distance between him and Tony and placed his hand on the other man's shoulder in a show of support. "Nothing's going to happen to your son. Trust me when I say that if anyone tries to take Ianto away from you they'll have to go through every single Avenger to do so. I promise you, Tony, we _will_ keep Ianto safe."

As Ianto gazed at the newcomer touching his father, a feeling of warmth and comfort spread throughout his chest and he reached for Steve without hesitation, straining against Tony's hold.

Surprised by Ianto's eagerness for Steve, given his earlier reaction to Pepper, Steve and Tony could only stare blankly at Ianto for a moment before the small child's face scrunched up and a tiny whimper escaped his lips. He didn't understand why the one he wanted to hold him wasn't reaching out for him and he pushed away from Tony even harder, straining to touch Steve.

Tony found it very difficult to let anyone else hold Ianto. It wasn't that he didn't trust his friends, he simply wasn't ready to share the little boy with anyone just yet, which explains why he was so quick to steal Ianto back from Pepper. But with Steve it felt different, it felt right; it was as if Ianto belonged in Steve's arms just as much as he belonged in his. "Here, Uncle Steve, he wants you to hold him." Tony gently shifted Ianto into Steve's arms and the little boy gave a tearful gurgle as he settled against Steve's broad chest.

The instant he felt the slight weight arrive in his hands, Steve's arms instinctively tightened around Ianto and as Ianto stared up at him with his big blue eyes Steve knew he was in love. "Hey, little guy, there's no need for tears; Uncle Steve's got you," he cooed bouncing Ianto up and down in his arms but then the motion slowed and he became absolutely mesmerised when Ianto reached up and put his little on either side of Steve's face.

As he studied the older man's features Ianto's tears faded and a serious look took their place in his eyes. Deciding that he passed muster, Ianto smiled brightly at Steve just as his stomach let out a sudden loud roar. All eyes flew to the small child and they laughed as they watched him look at his belly and start poking at it curiously as though trying to figure why it kept doing that.

"Already with the scientific mind!" Tony crowed with happiness. "Son, you're a chip off the old block!"

Grinning with obvious affection and pride, Steve hiked Ianto up a little higher and planted a kiss on his tummy. "Come on, let's get you fed."

Shaking his head at how comfortable Ianto was with Steve, Tony followed as the other man headed for the highchair set up near the table; Tony had completely missed that detail when he'd first entered the room. Seeing the bib, Sippy-cup and child-friendly spoon with its large easy-to-grip circular handle, Tony chuckled and frowned at the same time. "Tell me, Pepper, did you leave anything on the stores shelves or did you clear them all out?" Tony teased his friend.

Pepper merely cocked an eyebrow at Tony's teasing. "I left that to you; we both know that you plan on spoiling him rotten."

"Of course I am, if he's going to be a Stark he has to start appreciating the finer things in life as early as possible." At that moment Tony knew that if even Ianto wasn't his son there was no way he could possibly give him up. In fact, it actually scared him a little bit just how fast and deep Ianto had dug his way into his heart. Of course the sight of Steve and Bruce making airplane noises at Ianto as they flew the spoon through the air and fed him some kind of brightly coloured strained food was downright adorable.

Tony's heart certainly skipped a beat, even two, at the way the sunlight shone through the room's large bay window and made Steve glow as he smiled down at Ianto as he feed the boy a spoonful of whatever he was eating. Unwilling to be left out of anything to do with Ianto, Tony smiled apologetically, "Excuse me, Pepper, I have to go make sure those two aren't trying to poison my son."

Pepper watched Tony go a soft smile appearing on her face. "JARVIS, inform the legal department to draw up some adoption papers immediately; there is no way I am going to allow _anyone_ to take Ianto from Tony."

"I'm alerting them now, Miss Potts, and I have also recommended that they file paperwork for sole custody of Ianto should he turn out to be Mr Stark's son," JARVIS assured her.

"Good." Between her and JARVIS Pepper would make sure that Ianto's future with Tony was secure. Studying the group before her Pepper knew she had to make one small change to her plan; _'I should include Steve and Bruce on that list of those authorised to have emergency custody of Ianto, and probably the rest of the Avengers as well because there's no doubt in my mind that once they meet Ianto they'll love him just as much as we do.'_

Ianto had only been in their lives for a few hours but already Pepper could see the joy and light Ianto had brought to their lives. "JARVIS, make sure you're recording this from every angle possible," Pepper ordered. A contented smile graced her lips as she watched three of the most powerful men on the planet make goofy faces and baby noises in order to get Ianto to eat.

"I haven't stopped recording, Miss Potts, and I am streaming it live to the other Avengers, as well as to the computers of Agent Coulson, Miss Lewis and Miss Foster." JARVIS rather smugly informed her.

"Good because this is all simply too priceless to pass up!" Pepper knew that what she was seeing was pure gold just as she knew the footage would come in handy one day to remind Tony that as much as he tried to deny it, he did indeed have a softer side.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author Note:** Sorry for the delay in posting this. I will be adding two chapters today.

 **Chapter 4**

A little while later Ianto's tummy was nice and full and he was happily playing with his bunny and several of the new toys that JARVIS and Pepper had ordered for him. Currently his favourites were the soft plushie versions of the Avengers and out of those, he appeared to like the Black Widow the most, a fact which caused Tony to pout quite childishly. He tried to tempt him to play with Iron Man instead, but Ianto merely looked at Tony with a look that clearly said, "are you kidding me?" before using the Black Widow to whack Iron Man out of Tony's hand.

The little boy stared at his tad for a moment, as if daring him to pick the toy up and try interfering with his play again and then, satisfied that Tony was going to behave, Ianto turned back to play with his other toys. He had a happy grin on his face as he made Black Widow's long legs dance all over the other fluff-stuffed heroes.

When Steve, Bruce and Pepper saw the exaggerated pout that graced Tony's face it took all their willpower not to laugh out loud and while Bruce bit the inside of his mouth and Pepper occupied herself with rinsing off the dish and cup that Ianto had used for lunch, Steve smiled indulgently at Tony. "I'm sure it's only a matter of time till Iron Man becomes Ianto's favourite."

Tony glanced up at Steve a shy smile on his face. "You really think so?" He was surprised by how much he wanted Steve to hug him, although he didn't know why – he _always_ wanted the man to touch him in any way possible, but this time the feeling was much stronger than usual. He watched the way Steve was indulging Ianto's play by sending several Avenger toys plunging over the edge of the highchair's tray to crash to the ground – all supported by dramatic sound effects. _'He's so good with Ianto, better than I am, like he's the boy's father, not me.'_

Sensing his friend's odd mood, Steve returned his attention to his friend and nodded his head. "I'm sure of it, Tony. You're his father Ianto knows that and even though he can't express it, he adores you and that means he'll adore Iron Man as well. Don't forget he's never 'met'…" Steve framed the word with air quotes, "…Iron Man yet but when he does he'll love the hero as much as he loves you."

"You think so?" Tony looked at him hopefully.

"I know so." Steve nodded his head decisively as he collected the fallen toys and put them back on Ianto's tray. "You're so good with him and it's obvious that the father/son connection has been made."

Tony felt his heart swell with pride and joy when he heard Steve's words although he shook his head. His eyes never left Ianto as he watched the little boy play so happily; he was memorising every one of his movements and sounds. "I have no clue what I'm doing, Steve. I'm not even sure I'm cut out to _be_ a father," he confessed his greatest fear in a low voice.

Steve left Ianto to his toys as he closed the short distance between himself and Tony with two long steps. Clapping a hand on Tony's shoulder, Steve waited until his friend looked him in the eye before saying, "I watched you when you were sleeping in the living room. You had Ianto snuggled to your chest and even though you were sound asleep when he shifted and started to slide off your hands instinctively closed around his little body and kept him safe." Steve refused to admit that the sight of them together went straight to his heart and his memory. _'Why don't I have the courage to tell Tony how I feel? For a hero I am such a coward!'_ he chastised himself.

"Yeah?" Tony brightened visibly, not only because of Steve's words but even more so because now he knew that Steve had been watching him, and there was a indescribably something in his eyes as he looked back and for between him and Ianto. "Would you like to…"

Whatever Tony was going to ask was lost when he was interrupted by, "I, on the other hand, am very thankful that they make those toys for all ages otherwise we'd be missing out on this highly amusing scene. An evil person might use it as blackmail material," Bruce commented cheekily from the doorway. He had excused himself a few moments before o he could set up the equipment he would need to collect DNA samples from Tony and Ianto.

Tony had flat out refused to take Ianto down to one of the labs for the procedure, claiming the child would be much more comfortable in the living room especially considering he had no idea how Ianto would react to being stabbed with a sharp needle. He distinctly remembered being terrified of needles when he was little so he just presumed Ianto might be the same. _'Like father, like son,'_ he firmly told himself, deliberately ignoring the persistent little voice that said "Deny me all you want, but when those DNA tests come back the truth will come out!"

Bruce had to admit that Tony had a point; Ianto would be much more relaxed when he was surrounded by the comforts of the living room rather than the sterile conditions of a laboratory. It should be easy to distract him with his new toys, and afterwards, he could play very happily in the area that JARVIS and Dummy had, with their normal efficiency, turned into a secure play area while Ianto had been eating his first meal with his father. _'I have a feeling, Ianto, that you're going to have a top-of-the-line nursery and playroom that will be the envy of every child and grown man in the world.'_

"Alright, I'm ready to start testing Ianto,"Bruce announced after he finished snapping on his medical gloves. "You wanna bring him back to the living room, Tony?"

Steve picked up as many of the plushies that he could carry and Pepper gathered up the few that were left while Tony slid the high chair's tray off and set it on the counter. He held out his hands to Ianto who grinned and lifted up his arms so that Tony could scoop him up and swing him over his head. Ianto shrieked with glee as he flew through the air, secure in the knowledge that Tony would never let him fall.

"Careful, Tony, he ate a big lunch," Pepper cautioned, "you don't want him to ummm… 'share' it with you!"

"You wouldn't do that to your daddy, would you, big boy?" Tony crooned although he did lower Ianto and settle him on his hip; no sense in taking unnecessary chances. "Let's go see what Uncle Bruce is doing, okay?" He set off down the hall at the head of an odd parade of heroic adults with hands full of toys; Ianto split his attention between where they were headed and looking back over Tony's shoulder at Steve. To Pepper, it appeared as though Ianto were studying Steve very carefully while paying no attention whatsoever to her.

"Ta-dah!" Tony exclaimed as they arrived in the living room; Bruce had set up his mini-lab on the coffee table in front of the couch and Tony sat down reluctantly. He really didn't want to torture Ianto unnecessarily, but… his thoughts were interrupted when Ianto threw his arms around his neck. "Hey, little man, it's okay, I'm right here and you're going to be fine, I promise!"

Peeking out through his long lashes, the sight of the swab in Bruce's hands made him shiver with fear; he didn't know what it was or what it was for but he didn't want any part of it. The tears that filled Ianto's blue eyes spilled over and plopped onto Tony's T-shirt, leaving big wet spots and a tiny whimper escaped his lips.

"It's all right, honey, I'm not going to hurt you," Bruce knelt down in front of Tony and held out the swab for Ianto to examine. "See, it's just a stick with a little bit of cotton on the tip. I'm going to wipe the inside of your cheek, like this, okay?" Bruce opened his mouth and pretended to put the swab inside and move it around. "That's all, okay? It won't hurt a bit, I promise; now, come on, open up, please?" he coaxed.

Ianto stared wide-eyed at Bruce's antics and then he pursed his lips together into a thin line. He didn't want to put that thing in his mouth or anywhere else. He buried his face in his father's shoulder and Tony felt hot tears land on his neck.

Feeling Ianto's little body shuddering in his arms Tony tightened his grip on Ianto and turned his body slightly shielding his son from what was scaring him. "Hey, little guy, no need to be afraid; your Uncle Bruce isn't going to hurt you."

Ianto didn't move but Tony chose to interpret a soft sniffle as indication that his son was listening to him.

"I'll be right here with you and I won't let go of you, okay?"

This time Ianto gave a little nod.

"Tell you what," a stroke of genius hit Tony. "How about if I do it too? Do you wanna see me go first?"

That was obviously the perfect thing to say; Ianto raised his head and looked Tony in the eye for a moment before glancing over at the swab held out in the most unthreatening way he knew how. Ianto looked back at his father and then down at his mouth, as though he were giving careful consideration to Tony's offer.

"What do you say, me first and then you?" Tony asked gently. "Would that be okay?"

Bruce found himself raising an eyebrow, he was intrigued by the protective way Tony was holding in his arms but at the way he was speaking softly to Ianto without treating like an idiot and using ridiculous baby-talk. _'For someone who claims he has no idea how to be a father you're doing pretty well,'_ Bruce couldn't help but think to himself with open admiration.

Tony stared down at the boy in his arms and at the trust in Ianto's blue eyes and he couldn't remember the last time anyone had looked at him like that; it was a nice feeling. Hell, it was a _wonderful_ feeling! Ianto reached up, put his hands on either side of Tony's face and without warning, he planted a tiny kiss on his father's lips. Then, leaving the man totally gobsmacked, he squirmed around to sit on Tony's lap and held out his hand to Bruce.

"What?" Bruce didn't know what Ianto wanted.

"I think he wants the swab," Pepper offered. She'd been standing in the doorway watching and listening to the interaction between father and son and she was just enchanted by Tony's transformation.

Bruce willingly held out the swab and Ianto closed his little fingers around it. He brought it up to eye level and examined it carefully, even poking the soft end with his finger, and then he looked at Tony's mouth and tapped his lips gently.

"Do you want to see inside my mouth?" Tony opened his mouth and waited for Ianto to stick the swab inside, but all the little boy did was to peer inside curiously before looking at the swab again. Satisfied with the results of his examination, Ianto held the swab out to Bruce, as though he were granting the man permission to continue.

Bruce accepted the swab from Ianto with equal seriousness and then surreptitiously exchanged it for a second, still-sterile, one. "Okay, you ready?"

Tony grinned. "Sure, swab away, but I'm expecting dinner after this."

Bruce shook his head and rolled his eyes with an exaggerated motion, which earned him a quick giggle from Ianto _. 'Gotta remember that for later!'_ he thought before he commanded,"Just open up and say ahh!"

Rolling his eyes in a pretty good imitation of Bruce, Tony opened his mouth and did as Bruce commanded, and as he let out an extra-long and throaty "Ahhhhh," he was fully aware of Ianto scrutinising his every movement very closely. Once Bruce was done Tony turned his attention back to Ianto. "See, little guy, it wasn't that bad."

Ianto wasn't totally convinced yet, and he tapped his finger against Tony's lips a second time. Obligingly Tony opened his mouth wide and Ianto again peered inside. Satisfied that everything was fine, Ianto sat back and smiled brightly at his father.

Tony took a few seconds to bask in the pure light shining from Ianto's eyes; _'you have to be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen,'_ he marvelled as he committed the image to memory and he tenderly stroked his forefinger along the curve of Ianto's cheek. "Okay, Ianto, now it's your turn, can you open your mouth just like daddy did for Uncle Bruce?"

Ianto looked a little doubtful but as he pulled in a deep breath – it was an action that made Pepper think of an old man who'd seen far too much in his life – but then he slowly opened his mouth. The look in his big blue eyes promised dire consequences and that if anything went wrong he would scream, loudly.

Tony's eyes narrowed at the challenging look in Ianto's eyes. "I know that look, hel... uhh, I mean, heck, I came up with it! So don't even think of pulling anything, young man." He waggled his finger in front of Ianto's face in a parental attempt to lay down the law with his young child.

The look of stubbornness on Ianto's face was so absolutely pure Tony that the three other adults in the room had sudden and suspicious coughing fits which failed miserably to muffle their laughter. Not that their attempts really helped; Tony wasn't fooled one little bit, and he glared daggers at them all before again focusing his attention on Ianto. Just like a grown-up, the little boy had his little arms crossed over his chest and he still had a look of distrust on his face.

Knowing he face an uphill battle now that the others had broken the spell of fun and cooperation he and Ianto had created, Tony fell back to a parent's last straw: bargaining. "How about I make you a deal, little guy; you behave for Uncle Bruce and I'll let you bonk me on the nose any time you like."

"Tony, he's a baby, he's not going to understand you," Pepper pointed out gently.

Ignoring her, Tony stared into Ianto's blue-grey eyes; he saw comprehension and intelligence shining there. No, Ianto was not an ordinary little boy with a blank slate for a brain; he knew and understood far more than his age let on. "Sorry, Pepper, but you're wrong. Ianto understands just fine what we're talking about. Don't ya, buddy?" and he tickled his son's tummy.

Ianto merely let out a happy coo and patted indulgently Tony on the cheek, as if he were humouring the older man; his eyes shone brightly with knowledge, before his gaze was once again drawn to Bruce.

Because Ianto had decided to make a game out of the experience – he'd open his mouth wide and then just as Bruce was ready to slip the swab in, Ianto would snap his mouth shut. When Bruce protested, the little boy went into a fit of giggles. It took some doing and several attempts, but they finally managed to get Ianto to cooperate long enough for Bruce to collect a swab sample.

Despite the fun they'd just had, when it was over Ianto made sure to voice his displeasure, rather loudly in fact, over the entire experience. Tony was convinced that it was the taste and texture of the swab was at the heart of the problem because he'd found it a little yucky, so he did the only thing a supportive father could do: he joined in with Ianto's loud cries.

His unorthodox parenting style worked because Ianto immediately stopped crying out loud in order to stare in surprise at his father. He didn't notice that Bruce, Steve and Pepper were all doing the exact same thing – staring at Tony with their mouths hanging open. Was Iron Man having a temper tantrum?

As soon as Ianto had stopped his loud cries, Tony did the same. "Aww, come on, little guy. See, there's no need for such waterworks."

"You're not the one with bleeding eardrums now, dude!" Steve quipped from the far side of the room. "You must have been hell on your mother!"

"Steve!" Pepper shot him a meaningful glare. "Language!"

"Sorry," he glanced at Ianto, but he was oblivious to anyone but his father. _'Gotta watch that,'_ he told himself sternly, _'I don't want to be the one who teaches Ianto his first swear word!'_

"See, it wasn't that bad," Tony cooed as he bounced Ianto up and down in attempt to calm the upset child. "It's all over and we'll never have to do it again, okay?"

"You do know, Tony, that even with all this high-tech equipment we have it will still take about five days to get the result." Bruce wondered how Tony would spend his time while waiting to find out whether or not Ianto was his son. _'Maybe he'll start teaching Ianto how to blow things up!'_ and he chuckled silently at his own wit.

"I doesn't matter what the test says, Ianto is my son regardless of the results." Tony's reply was spoken softly but vehemently. He already knew the result would be negative, he'd been over and over the maths in his head, and unless Ianto was a gift of immaculate conception, there was simply no other result possible.

Seeing that Ianto was still upset despite his father's comforting attention, Pepper had a bright idea and hurried over to the play area before reversing her path and stepping up to the couch. When Tony failed to notice her standing there, she not-so-gently hit him on the arm with the item she'd picked up. With a sharp retort on his lips, he snapped his head around only to end up smiling gratefully when he saw what she held. "Thank you," he mouthed to her before shifting Ianto in his arms and handing him the stuffed bunny he adored.

A damp but happy smile lit up Ianto's small face as Tony tucked his bunny into his hands and then a huge yawn escaped his lips and as yawns always do, spread quickly around the room. Giving in to the inevitable, he snuggled deeper to in Tony's arms and found a comfortable position against his father's chest; it had been a long day and he really could use another nap. Within moments, he was sound asleep.

Alarmed by how quickly the little boy had nodded off, Tony looked to Pepper for guidance. "Should he be sleeping this much?" There was a slight hitch of panic in his voice, Ianto had just had a nap earlier that day, just a few hours ago in fact.

A soft smile graced Pepper's face as she viewed the tender sight before her; if someone had asked her yesterday if she thought Tony Stark, playboy, daredevil, mad scientist, was good father material, she'd have answered with a resounding "NO!". But now, seeing how protectively the man cradled Ianto's small body against him while one hand gently stroked his curls back from his forehead, she knew she'd have been very wrong. "Young children do tend to sleep more, their little bodies are growing at an amazing rate but he's had a busy day to boot. I don't think a short nap will hurt and it's still earlier enough in the day that it shouldn't disturb his sleep tonight."

A tiny sigh escaped Ianto's lips and they both looked at him affectionately. "Besides, it doesn't look like you have much say anyway, daddy; your son has decided you're his favourite place to sleep," she quipped.

A bit of motion caught Tony's eye and he watched as Ianto's small thumb found its way into his Cupid's-bow mouth without disturbing his sound sleep one little bit. Not even the men could deny just how adorable the scene looked.

Steve continued enjoying the touching sight even after the others had gone back to their own activities; a feeling of deep longing growing in his chest. _'I want that,_ ' he admitted, _'I want to be a part of that little family!'_ and this time his inner voice was vehement. _'Somehow I have to find a way in…'_

"Hey! I'm talking to you!"

"Huh?" Broken from his reverie, Steve looked up in confusion. "What?"

Bruce grinned. "Where were you, man? We've been talking to you for like twenty minutes!"

Rolling his eyes at the gross exaggeration, Steve cast his mind around for a good excuse and then he saw Ianto's fluffy bunny about ready to slip to the floor. "That reminds me, we need to set up some place for Ianto to sleep." He cast a glance at the clutter of baby items that still hadn't found a home including the crib that needed to be put together before Ianto could go to bed properly that night.

JARVIS spoke up, although he kept his voice very low out of consideration for the sleeping boy. "Sir, Dummy and I have taken the liberty of tidying up the empty room across from yours. With its eastern exposure, the young master's nursery will be bathed with warm sunlight every morning. With the ensuite bath, bathing him before bed can be accomplished quite efficiently. There is more than sufficient cupboard space for the child's clothing and toys, as well as a large closet to hold all the accoutrement a growing child requires."

"Wow!" Bruce exclaimed. "This guy thinks of everything!"

"Sounds good to me, we'll set that up as Ianto's room then," Tony declared. "Tell me there's a baby monitor in all the stuff you ordered?"

"Yes, Sir, not only is there a state-of-the-art monitoring system but I have also installed several CCTV cameras in the nursery and the adjoining bathroom as well as three in the hallway one looking direction at the nursery door and the others facing in either direction. The footage will be accessible from every computer in the Tower, as well as from your lab on the Helicarrier."

"What about my helmet JARVIS, have you wired it up for footage?" Tony asked.

"Of course, Sir," and if the others weren't mistaken, the AI actually sounded a little offended that Tony would doubt him.

"Thank you, JARVIS," Tony sighed with relief. He didn't want his son out of his sight for a single moment, not until they'd discovered who was responsible for bring Ianto to him and how they'd managed to get in and out his lab without being detected. Most important of all, Tony needed to be absolutely sure that the small boy was in no danger of being taken away from him. Despite knowing that Ianto couldn't be his biological son, Tony knew beyond a doubt that come hell or high water he would protect him from everything and everyone as if they shared the same bloodline.

Knowing looks were exchanged between the others present; it was well known that Tony liked his privacy – he'd been known to literally throw party-goers out of his house if he decided the party was over before they did –so the completely hands-on way he was with Ianto was a real surprise. But there was absolutely no doubt in anyone's mind that he wanted to keep the small child as close to him as was practical.

"Okay then, Bruce and Steve, you can help me set up Ianto's bedroom so the little guy has a better place than Tony's chest to sleep later tonight," Pepper ordered.

Steve and Bruce quickly fell into line and after collecting the crib's flat-pack box, the mattress and the carrier bags of bedding, they dutifully followed Pepper out of the living room. After all, there was no use in trying to fight the redhead when she'd made a decision; her word was law, that was that and arguing against it just wasn't done.

Partway up the stairs, Bruce motioned for Steve to slow down a bit and let pepper get ahead of them, and then once he didn't think she could hear them, he said, "How much you wanna bet that Ianto's sleeping in Tony's bed before the sun comes up?"

"You know Pepper; she's probably already anticipating that move and before we leave she's going to tell him that a baby needs to sleep in his own crib." Steve wasn't so sure.

Bruce snorted. "Do you _really_ think Tony's gonna pay attention to any rules Pepper lays down where that squirt's concerned?"

Grudgingly acknowledging that Bruce was right, Steve chuckled, "Lunch all week at Maybelle's?"

Maybelle's was the team's favourite restaurant, a southern BBQ joint owned and operated by a family straight out of the bayou who proudly used a one-hundred-plus-year-old brick smoker that had been in Maybelle's family since the beginning of time in which to prepare their meats. After Hurricane Katrina had devastated their neighbourhood and their devoted clientele had been scattered to the four winds, she and her husband had dismantled the smoker and brought it north piece by piece before reassembling it in the back of an old bakery.

In less than six months of serving their first rib, they'd expanded their seating venue three times, and today there were _still_ lines of people out the door and around the block all waiting for their turn to eat Miss Maybelle's legendary food. Maybelle used her grandmama's recipes for greens, cornbread, banana pudding and other menu items, and a super-secret sauce recipe from her husband's side of the family that just kept winning awards and accolades ninety years after its first gold medal at the county fair.

Already drooling because he knew he was going to win hands-down, Bruce nodded his agreement. "You're on!"

"Do you two need me to come down there and carry that stuff for you?" Pepper called down the stairs. Laughing to one another, the men hoisted their load and hurried on their way before she got any closer.

Once he was sure they were out of hearing range Tony smiled down at the sleeping child in his arms. "Thank you, little guy, for getting me out of that. Your Auntie Pepper can be rather scary when she wants to be." Tony shivered as he remembered all the times he managed to earn her wrath. Careful not to awaken his precious sleeping cargo Tony turned around and leaned back into the couch corner; _'_ _might as well make_ _myself comfortable, I'm going to be here for a while_ _.'_ Glancing up at the ceiling, he whispered, "JARVIS, please make sure that I'm not disturbed until Ianto wakes up." Tony wasn't willing to take any chances in with the young boy's sleep.

"Yes, Sir." JARVIS' voice programming came out much softer than normal and Tony knew he was doing it for Ianto's benefit.

"Thank you, JARVIS." Tony carefully tucked a pillow behind his head and tried leaning his head back, then gently shifted Ianto so they'd both be more comfortable and Ianto was held a little more securely. He was very pleased with himself when the small child didn't wake up and then, keeping one arm wrapped around Ianto to support him, Tony managed to reach out with his other hand and snag his tablet. The next hour or so of quiet time would be perfect to work on new security systems as well as upgrades to existing programs in order to keep the newest and the littlest member of his ragtag family safe.

TBC...


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Pepper Potts was a beautiful, red-headed, no-nonsense slave drive, something that Steve and Bruce were quickly learning the hard way.

"No, it's not right! Come on, you two, think! The crib shouldn't be that close to the window; if Ianto sleeps near an open window it can make him sick to say nothing of how easily he can be kidnapped by a determined person, and last but not least, what if there was a storm that breaks the window then Ianto could be hurt by flying glass!" Pepper stood with her arms crossed over her chest and surveyed the two men with angry dismay, the look in her eyes just daring either one of them to say something. After a moment, she finally shook her head and pointed to the empty spot between the wall and the door. "Over here, I think," she declared decisively and then she stood back and waited for them to do her bidding.

Bruce and Steve wisely chose to say nothing as they once again lifted up the crib and moved it to the spot Pepper indicated. Of course the place she was talking about was directly across from the door leading to Tony's room, and the placement of the crib there made sense as it offered the most protection and would no doubt give Tony a bit of piece knowing he could keep a close eye on Ianto just by looking across the hall.

While they were busy getting the crib into the right spot Pepper was sorting through the baby blankets trying to figure out which ones would be the best for Ianto to sleep in, which would keep him cosy but not too warm in the summer nights but be just enough to keep off the chill. She finally settled on one that matched a set of sheets with teddy bears all over them; they were light and just too cute not to use.

"JARVIS, make sure that there is a twenty-four hour live feed on Ianto's room and on Ianto wherever he is," Pepper ordered.

"Already done, Miss Potts; per Mr Stark's instructions, I have installed several new cameras that will ensure full coverage of Master Ianto's room both inside and out, and I have rerouted the video feed to everyone's personal tablets. Should a problem or danger arise then you will all be alerted simultaneously," JARVIS informed them.

' _Is that a hint of pride I hear in JARVIS' voice?'_ Pepper grinned and nodded her head. "That's a good idea, thank you, JARVIS." She knew Tony wouldn't be the only one who would be reassured by JARVIS' caution. Even though Ianto had only been in their lives for a very short time he had become as important to them as he was to Tony. Although she'd never wanted children of her own, there was something about Ianto that triggered instincts and desires Pepper hadn't realised she possessed. The few seconds she'd held him in the kitchen had pushed all of her maternalistic buttons. Now the need to protect him from the evils of the world including everything from the little boo-boos of childhood like a skinned knee to the big hurts of adulthood like a broken heart was paramount in her soul.

Pepper cast her eyes up towards the ceiling. _'Please, if there is any justice in this world, you will allow a miracle to occur and let Ianto be Tony's son. In all the years I have known him I've never seen Tony care about anyone as_ instantly or as deeply _as he_ _does Ianto. So I'm begging you, please do not let this be a trick. I don't think Tony could survive losing Ianto.'_ At this thought, Pepper cast a quick over at Bruce and Steve; she could see lightness in their eyes that had never been there before and she knew precisely who to thank for putting it there.

' _In fact I don't think any of us would survive losing Ianto; he brings to the party that we've all been missing. I swear on all that is good and holy that I will fight whatever forces I have to keep that look, that lightness, and that love in our hearts. So whoever you are up there, you better make sure that Ianto stays with us.'_

* * *

"She's a fierce one." Loki commented and his admiration was obvious. Since Pepper hadn't specified which God or deity she was speaking to, he'd easily heard her prayers.

The TARDIS, who was still in her Idris form, nodded her head with a knowing look in her eyes. "Pepper Potts will play a very important role in Ianto's life and future; while he'll become close to all the women on the team, it is Pepper who will fill the void where a mother's love and influence should be."

"All the women including… _her_?" Loki clenched his fists at his sides as he tried to keep the heartbreak from his voice and eyes, although he knew he'd failed when Idris gently cupped his chin, tipping his head up until he met her glance.

"I know it hurts to think kindly about the woman your soul mate has fallen for, but yes, Loki, Jane Foster will be a part of Ianto's life. You must have faith, my dear one, I promise you that Thor will rise above the hurt he is feeling for you and finally understand just why it pains him so to think of you as his enemy." Idris kept her voice gentle; she didn't like it when any of her friends were suffering, but especially when it was due to unrequited love. "I have seen it; Jane will remain a part of Thor's life but only ever as a friend, nothing more. There is another out there waiting for her, loving and longing for her, and she just needs to open her eyes to see him."

A deep shuddering breath was the only response Loki was capable of making and that was all Idris needed to pull Loki into a hug, one he sank into gratefully. It had been so long since anyone had cared enough about him to hug him and make him feel wanted and he actually belonged. Even though he'd have loved to stay in Idris' arms and enjoy the feeling of warm and love that she provided, he knew that if he didn't move and soon, he wouldn't be able to prevent a tear or two… or a hundred… from falling, so he tightened his rip for just a second and then pushed himself away.

Idris wasn't fooled for a minute, but she let him maintain his aura of manliness. "So, I think things are working out quite well down there, don't you?" She turned the monitor so they could see Tony, who'd fallen asleep again and let his tablet slip to the floor, and Ianto, who was held securely over his father's heart.

As strange as it was Loki found himself thinking of Idris and young Ianto as his family and he vowed to the Universe that he would do everything in his power to make sure that Ianto was raised in a loving family which brought forth his next question, "So when do you plan on springing the name of Ianto's other parent on Stark? Because I'm telling you right now, I want to see his reaction from a front row centre seat with an extra-large popcorn in my hand when he learns who he's sharing a son with!" There was a distinct sparkle of naughty mischief gleaming from his eyes.

Idris shook her head but couldn't stop her own hint of a smile appearing. "I thought I would wait until they know for sure that young Ianto _is_ Tony's son then, when Dr Banner starts looking for Ianto's other parent, I will visit him and hint that he should check closer to home for the answers they seek."

A bark of laughter escaped Loki's lips; he was rather enjoying the fact that the Lady of Time had such a wonderful sense of mischief and humour. "What about the nightmares that are sure to come?" Loki was well aware that while they may have de-aged Ianto and given him a fresh start the memories of who he had been and the life he'd lived before still lingered just beneath the surface. The day would come when they would be awakened and probably not for the better and both Loki and Idris knew that the key lay within Jack Harkness.

Sooner or later no matter where he is in the Universe, the immortal known as Captain Jack Harkness would feel the planet Earth tugging at his soul, whispering to his heart, calling him back.

Back to Ianto Jones.

A sad almost resigned look entered Idris' eyes. "I wish there was something we could do to either stop them or lessen their impact, but I can't. I'm afraid that when Ianto – when any of us – well, not me, as I do not sleep – but when any living being sleeps the barrier between his memories and conscious is at its weakest and therefore Ianto is vulnerable. There's no way to prevent it other than to never let him sleep and we both know that's absolutely impossible. No, all we can do is be there for him when the nightmares strike and offer whatever comfort we can."

Loki didn't like her answer but he knew that Idris was right; their options were extremely limited to the point of being nearly non-existent. "All right, then, we wait and, as much as I dislike them, I know that the Avengers will do everything in their power to help Ianto grow to up to be a strong and honourable man and I can't think of anyone he would be safer with than them." Loki hated to admit it but it was clear that Pepper and the three Avengers had come to truly love Ianto and in his heart he knew that they would gladly give their lives if it meant keeping him safe. "I am kinda wondering though how your dear Captain Harkness is ever going to get close enough to say 'hi', much less successfully woo Ianto given who's raising him."

"It is true, I do love Jack, but you must understand, he carries a part of me within him and so he will always be special to me but I saw the way he treated Ianto, I felt Ianto's pain when his heart was broken over and over again. Jack was blind to the treasure he held in the palm of his hand; Ianto Jones was his one, the missing half of his heart and the mate to his soul. Unfortunately, my immortal foolishly let his fear of rejection and loss and lust for another who was completely unworthy of him guide his actions."

The TARDIS' avatar shook her head sadly. "But I have seen Jack since he lost Ianto and life without his young Welshman it is slowly killing his soul. Unless something changes soon he will become nothing but an empty shell destined to wander the Universe alone forever." Her expression brightened considerably; "Winning Ianto back will be just the challenge he needs to reawaken his soul and heart and if I know Jack – and I believe I do – he will be up to it."

Idris knew the never-ending torment Jack was putting himself through over his treatment and subsequent loss of Ianto and she was sure that once he learned that Ianto was alive and better yet that he would live as long as he would Jack would be overjoyed. He would do whatever it took to ensure that they spent the rest of their lives together and he would spend every second of that eternity making sure Ianto never again doubted his absolute and inalienable place in Jack's heart.

The all-knowing tone in Idris' voice had Loki raising an eyebrow. "You know this for sure, don't you? You've seen them together in the future, haven't you? You're absolutely, positively, can't-possibly-be-wrong about Ianto's place with Jack, right?" He needed some reassurance if he was going to allow Ianto to remain with Tony Stark, Steve Rogers and the other Avengers. If Idris couldn't give him that, then he was going to start making plans to remove Ianto from their grasp at the first hint of trouble.

A soft smile played upon Idris face as she remembered the last time she'd checked on Jack and Ianto's future. They were on their twenty-fifth honeymoon, and it seemed as though Jack was rather enjoying – in fact, maybe just wee bit _too_ much – his habit of making his claim to Ianto's heart crystal clear whenever someone tried to make a move on his Welshman. "I have their love only grows stronger with every passing day and that they are together side-by-side and hand-in-hand right up until the very end. Their love will become legendary throughout the Universe. I promise you, Loki, it is quite the fairytale and one of time's a most beloved and well-known love stories," Idris finished off in an almost dreamy tone.

Loki's other eyebrow joined its mate somewhere up in his hairline. "I take it you're a fangirl then?" He had learned of the power fangirls held as well as the dangers they posed when he'd last been on Earth. In fact, he had been shocked and even a bit flattered to learn that he had his own personal army of fangirls. _'I wish I'd known about them when I was trying to take over the world, they would have been so incredibly useful in my quest!'_

Reading the thoughts going through Loki's eyes, the TARDIS put her foot down firmly. "You will _not_ go down to Earth, you will _not_ seek out your fangirls and above all, you will _not_ use them to create an army. No one is ready for that kind of power and the Universe is simply not mentally, emotionally and physically equipped to survive a battle of fangirls." Idris shivered in her high button-top boots; she had seen the many future battles that were the result of fools messing with fangirls' OTP's and the disasters that inevitably followed in their wake. She knew that there would be many wars fought in the future and soon all the Universe would tremble when they went to war.

At the horrified look on Idris' face Loki swallowed hard and he actually took a step backwards. "I don't think I want to know."

"Wise choice of action." Idris almost wished she didn't know either but she did enjoy the Janto-shippers as the Jack/Ianto fans would eventually call themselves and their passionate defence of their pairing.

* * *

It was some time later that afternoon when Ianto awoke from his nap ready for more play time with the funny man who gave great hugs. There was only one problem in his plan: Tony had fallen asleep while waiting for Ianto to wake up. A tiny pout graced Ianto's normally cherubic face and he did the only thing he could think of. With just a hint of naughtiness in his eyes, he reached out and…

Twitching and sputtering softly, Tony woke up to something because something kept tickling his nose. Annoyed that he'd been dragged from a very 'energetic' dream, he squinted his eyes against the light and came face-to-face with the stuffed bunny that Ianto refused to let out of his sight. Looking past the bunny he found himself staring into Ianto's big blue oh-so-innocent eyes, which lit up happily when he saw that Tony was finally awake. "All right, little guy, I'm up; there's no need to tickle me anymore."

A joyful coo escaped Ianto and he wiggled with delight as he realised that Tony was finally ready to play with him; now he just needed to find the other nice man and they could all have fun together.

"Well, well, look who's finally awake!"

The newcomer voice's brought another happy coo from Ianto as he tried his best to turn around and face the very person he wanted to see. Unable to get loose from Tony's grip, he made a small unhappy sound when he discovered that he couldn't get his head to turn all the way around like he wanted. Whimpering in frustration, Ianto squirmed even harder as he tried to get away.

Tony felt a stab of jealousy when he realised who it was that Ianto really wanted to be with. "I think your littlest fan would like some attention, Cap," he tried to maintain a tone of civility in his voice.

"Really?" Steve's eyes lit up as he moved closer to Tony and Ianto, he'd been wanting to hold Ianto ever since he'd first laid eyes on the little guy but Tony hadn't been willing to share, not that Steve could blame him. "Can I hold him?" Steve asked shyly looking like a little boy himself; another second and Tony expected to see the man shuffle his feet and blush.

Tony's heart melted at the look and he knew he couldn't deny Steve anything, ever. "Of course! You're the one he wants, see?" Tony shifted as he sat up and turned so that Ianto had a clear view of Steve, and the effect was instantaneous. Ianto's little arms lifted as high they could as he tried to reach for Steve and his squirming increased to the point that he planted one small trainer-clad foot right in his father's groin.

Steve barely contained his guffaw of laughter at the way Tony's face turned bright-red and his eyes sort of bulged out, and when he heard Tony's choked out squeak of pain, he had to bite down hard on the inside of his cheek to maintain his composure. "Are you…" _chuckle…_ "o…" _snort…_ "okay, dude?"

"Uh, I will…" _moan…_ "be…" Tony coughed loudly and the sound drew Ianto's attention. The little boy turned around just enough to shoot Tony a blinding smile before continuing his attempts to reach Steve. Regaining his composure, Tony tried to tighten his grip on the wiggling child but Ianto was just too determined.

"Whoa, little dude, Uncle Steve is coming!" Luckily Steve swooped in like the hero he was and quickly grabbed Ianto just as Tony lost his grip on him.

Ianto squealed with pure delight as Steve raised him up in the air and flew him in a wide circle over his head and his peals of laughter brightened even the darkest corners of the world.

"Hey there, little guy, did you have a nice nap?" Steve asked Ianto as he settled the child so he was resting comfortably against his chest. Ianto began babbling happy and at a rapid-fire pace; there were no real words but Steve had a feeling that would soon change. There was a glint of deep knowledge in those intense blue eyes and if he was truly the son of Tony Stark then he would be talking up a storm in no time. "You're going to be a little mischief maker just like your father, aren't you?"

Ianto's t-shirt had rucked up exposing his bare skin and Steve couldn't resist the unspoken invitation; he gently tickled Ianto's soft belly, making him giggle madly and grab at the man's fingers. He gabbled something that sound to Steve's fanciful ears like, "Stop that!"

"You're an awful lot smarter than we realise aren't you?" Steve studied his small charge thoughtfully. "In fact, I'm willing to bet that this whole cute thing, with the giggling babbles and helpless baby looks is all just one big act, isn't it? You're secretly plotting to take over the world, are you?"

Ianto merely smiled enigmatically and Steve knew that he had his answer. "We're going to have to keep a very close eye on you because something tells me trouble is going to find you just as easily as it does your dad." Steve surprised himself with how easy it was for him to call Tony Ianto's father. _'It just sounds so right!'_

"We've already made plans on for doing exactly that," Pepper spoke up as she placed a pile of clean clothes next to Tony. "That one has troublemaker written all over his adorable little face."

Tony's eyes went wide in amazement as he spotted Bruce trying to move around despite having his arms laden with clothes piled so high that that Bruce could barely see where he was going. "You can see, right? I don't want you to trip and hurt yourself and make the other guy come popping out, because as awesome as he is and I am a big fan of the Hulk, I'm not sure that Ianto will be able to understand why his other favourite uncle turned into a big green rage machine."

Behind his burden Bruce rolled his eyes. "I'll make sure to keep that in mind as I try not to kill myself with all these soft, fluffy baby clothes."

"Umm…" Tony turned his attention to Pepper. "Yeah, mind telling me what is up with all the clothes? Did you buy out all the children clothing stores?" Tony had never seen so many tiny pieces of clothing – there were shirts, vests, pants, trousers, jumpers, socks, pyjamas, a towelling robe and a few things Tony wasn't quite sure of – surely Ianto wouldn't need all of these. _'Unless it's all disposable and I'll never have to do laundry?'_ He barely stopped himself from laughing aloud at the thought.

' _Men!'_ Pepper shook her head a sad look of resignation in her eyes. "Oh Tony, Ianto is still a small child and he's growing like a weed which means he'll go through all this clothing in a few months. Buying things in a variety of sizes is a wise course of action to make sure you don't wake up one day and realise that Ianto's clothes are too small for him and your son gets to run around naked all day. Plus I picked up this." With that Pepper proudly held up a miniature black Iron Man t-shirt with a full-colour picture of the hero in full armour emblazoned across the chest.

There was a sharp wolf-whistle from both Tony and Steve while Ianto clapped his hands and crowed loudly, even though he really didn't understand why. "Well now, that I like!" Tony's face lit up as if the shirt were actually for him, and his grin grew wider as he spied a few other Iron Man shirts, as well as those with images of his other teammates. There were a few Captain America, Thor, Hulk and Hawkeye mixed up in the pile Pepper had placed down along with team t-shirts with all the Avengers on it.

 _'Oh yeah!'_ Tony made an imaginary fist-pump in the air. _'My son_ _is going to be the most stylish little guy_ _around!'_ He grinned wildly at his friends letting his eyes linger on the vision that was the man of his dreams holding his son like the precious treasure he was and for just a moment, Tony let his imagination wander to what could be. Then, just as quickly, he returned to the subject at hand: Ianto Stark's amazing wardrobe. Then he froze in place. ' _Ianto… Stark.'_ Tony rolled the words over in his head. _'Hello, this is my son, Ianto Stark.'_ Iron Man felt a surge of pride burst his heart. _'I really like the sound of that.'_

Tony was yanked from his reverie when Bruce threw a small fleece at his head. "Hey! We're talking here! You wanna join in the convo or just sit there with a goofy grin on your face?"

With precise accuracy, Tony grabbed a bright red trainer that was barely three inches long and lobbed it at Bruce. "I was just thinking about which outfit to put him in first."

"Well, I think he should be dressed like you," Pepper said loyally. "He is your son, after all."

"Well, I prefer the Captain America one myself," Steve offered. "What do you think, little man? You wanna look like a real hero?"

Letting his friends' bickering wash over him, Tony started sorting through the closest pile of clothing and a sudden thought struck him. _'Huh, I wonder if we should all autograph them? Ianto would be the only child on the planet with a complete collection of Avengers autographs!'_ Tony was pulled out of his thoughts by something hitting him on the back of the head for a second time. "Hey!"

Pepper stifled a laugh when Tony turned to face a disgruntled-looking Ianto; it was obvious that he wasn't too happy at being ignored. Tony then saw the wicked look on Steve's face and he realised that Steve had given his son the object that had hit him. Giggling happily, Pepper pointed at Ianto's pissed-off demeanour; "Oh Tony, that look is so you!" As far as she was concerned, it really was precious to see Ianto giving his father the same sulking look Tony got whenever he didn't get his way. "It seems Ianto does not like to be ignored, remind you of anyone?" Pepper address her question to Bruce and Steve with a raised eyebrow.

Tony shook his head with a broad smirk on his face as he bent down to pick up the stuffed bunny Ianto had thrown at the back of his head. "I think I should keep this since you so generously gave it to me," he teased waving the bunny back and forth in front of Ianto's face. "He's really soft and fluffy and I think he needs a name."

Ianto's eyes narrowed dangerously and his face scrunched up and that was the only warning they got before he let out an ear-splitting wail.

"TONY!" Three voices admonished loudly as Ianto's indignant cries only grew in volume.

"Tony, give Ianto back his bunny this instant!" Steve commanded in a stern tone.

Not that he needed to give the order, as Tony was already moving quickly towards Ianto with an enormous apology written on his face. He bent down to look the crying child in the eyes spoke softly, "Hey, little guy, there's no need for waterworks, I wasn't going to keep your bunny, I promise!" Ianto made impatient grabby hands for his bunny and Tony quickly handed it over feeling really badly as Ianto buried his face in the animal's fur and gave the occasional sniffle. "Do you forgive me?"

Ianto peeked out around the toy and studied the man before him; he'd felt an immediate soul-deep connection between them from the very moment Tony had touched him back in the lab. He hated seeing the man so sad and since his bunny was safely back in his arms he didn't see any reason to be mad at him anymore. With a bright albeit damp smile, Ianto held out his arms to his father.

A sigh of relief immediately escaped Tony's lips as he gladly took Ianto into his arms and a smile appeared on his face as the small boy gave him a messy kiss on the cheek. As Ianto began babbling on again about whatever was important to him at the moment, Tony and Steve looked over his head and stared deeply into one another's eyes for several intense moments before turning to listen to him intently.

"I think we have been forgotten," Bruce murmured to Pepper as he finally made his way over to join her on the couch and gratefully placed his load of clothing down.

Pepper smiled as she watched the intimate moment between Tony and Steve before they turned their attention to Ianto. She thought it was so cute that even though they couldn't understand a word he was saying they kept nodding and murmuring little responses. "And you would be right. While the children are busy why don't we get to work? If you'll help me carry all of this upstairs I'll sort out the clothing and you can get to work setting up the baby monitors," she suggested. _'I get the feeling these three need to spend a little time alone together.'_

Now that he'd been given something truly useful to do, Bruce happily left the folding and organising of Ianto's wardrobe to Pepper. It was clear that she planned on making sure little Ianto wore the most stylish outfits that he possibly could and there was no way he was going to get in between her and her fashion decisions.

Plus fashion just wasn't his thing.

TBC...


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Arriving at the Avenger Tower hours after the others, Natasha was greeted to a sight she never thought she'd see. "Why is there a baby in the middle of our living room?" Natasha asked as she crossed her arms over her chest. Raising an eyebrow she took in the inexplicable scene of Tony Stark and Steve Rogers seated on the floor in the middle of a sea of toys playing with a small child. Steve was making a plush stuffed animal dance while Tony had his hands around the boy's waist, holding him upright so he could kick his legs and dance with his bunny.

Several feet away, Pepper Potts was comfortably ensconced on the nearby couch folding what appeared to be hundreds of pieces of baby clothes that she then organised into proper and complete outfits. She was talking in low tones to Bruce Banner who was next to her with a lap full of small tools and electronic bits as he finalised the process of setting up what had to be the most high tech-looking baby monitors she had ever seen.

Perturbed that her entrance had gone unnoticed, Natasha cleared her throat as loudly as she could. "What the hell is going on here?" she demanded gruffly. The responses were immediate and simultaneous.

Pepper looked up and snapped, "Language, please!" while Tony puffed his chest up with obvious pride as he informed his teammate, "This is Ianto. He may or may not be my son."

It only took her a second to process the information and then Natasha merely blinked before shaking her head. "Why am I not surprised?" she asked with rhetorical acquiescence. "Personally I expected this to have happened a lot sooner." Given the loose lifestyle Tony engaged in it wouldn't have shocked her to learn that he had a more than a few children running around out there.

Tony narrowed his eyes at the redhead; he didn't like the implications of her comment one little bit. "I'll have you know that I have observed the rules for safe sex since I was seventeen and lost my virginity to Lucy Simmons. For that little piece of nastiness, you won't get the honour of being named his aunt or godmother," Tony informed her in an extremely huffy tone before pointedly turning his back on her and focusing all his attention on Ianto.

Unfortunately, to his distinct disappointment, his son appeared to be completely entranced by the newcomer. Ianto's eyes had gone wide as saucers when he saw Natasha's head of flaming red hair and the desire to touch it brought out the wiggle-monster in his little body. He began to squirm and twist in Tony's arms using his legs to try and push off from his father's stomach. His fierce determination to reach for Natasha was quite impressive to Bruce, Steve and Pepper, but as far as Natasha was concerned it was nothing short of alarming. Her eyes were at least as wide as Ianto's and her mouth was hanging open; the look on her face clearly said she didn't know whether to stand her ground or turn tail and run for the nearest exit.

Natasha's uncharacteristic indecision gave Tony a wicked idea.

"Here," Tony quickly thrust his overly-excited son into Natasha's arms, knowing that she'd never let him fall and said, "you look after Ianto for a moment. I mean it's clear that he wants to be with you," which, judging by the way he was staring at her hair with pure wonder, was clearly obvious, "while I go check in downstairs and make sure that Dummy isn't going to blow us up any time soon."

The reasoning behind Tony's actions was two-fold; first of all, after Pepper's strict and very explicit lecture on child safety, there was no way he was taking his son down into his lab until it had been rendered completely safe and child-proof. Second, he certainly wasn't bringing Ianto anywhere _near_ Dummy and whatever trouble he was currently starting. There was no doubt in Tony's mind that Dummy was up to something; it had been a while – too long in fact – since he'd last checked on the troublemaking bot.

Finally, after seeing how anxiously Ianto had wanted to go to Natasha, Tony really wanted to see just how the big bad assassin would react when she had to look after a small child. Tony chortled evilly to himself as he headed for the door; _'Ianto's no ordinary kid, and she's gonna have her hands full!'_

"What? Tony! Get back here!" Natasha shouted at Tony's retreating back. "I'm warning you, Stark, get your happy ass back here right now!" The only response she got from the fleeing father was the slamming of the living room door.

Ianto, however, patted her face gently and started babbling rather loudly at her, obviously defending his father's actions, or at least that's what Bruce thought as he studied Ianto.

Frustrated and annoyed, Natasha turned to Pepper for help but the woman was paying very close attention to folding a pair of trousers _just so;_ she knew Natasha wanted her attention and she refused to look up from her work. Looking down at the small child in her arms Natasha found that Ianto had finished talking to her and now he was staring at her with quite serious fascination. Unsure of what just to do with such a small person, the redhead simply stared back; heaven knows she wasn't a people person when around adults, _'so what the hell do I do with a kid?'_ She cast a second, desperately nervous glance at Pepper and luckily this time her fellow redhead knew what she was trying to say.

Setting down the pile of socks she was sorting, Pepper glanced around the room and finally found what she was looking for in the basket of toys in the corner. A handful of long strides took her across the room and then back again, where she stopped next to Natasha and Ianto. Smiling reassuringly at her, Pepper held out the Black Widow plushie for Ianto to see. "Ianto, this is Natasha; she's just like your toy. See? Remember how much fun you had playing with her after lunch? You really liked bonking Tony on the nose with her, didn't you?"

That bit of news had Natasha grinning wildly. "Well all righty then, so he's already proving he has good taste? Are you sure he's Tony son? Maybe it's a mistake? Apparently he has much more sense than Tony, which means he must get it from his mother's side."

Pepper rolled her eyes; she was well used to Natasha and Tony snarking at one another. "First all, nothing's been confirmed, we're still waiting on the DNA results. Second, we're not sure _who_ Ianto's mother is or how he even arrived in Tony's lab." Pepper smiled indulgently when Natasha raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "I'll fill you in later, I promise."

Accepting that that was all the explanation she was going to get for the moment, Natasha turned her attention to the little boy who was busy stroking her hair with the gentle fingers of one hand while the other held tightly to his bunny and the Black Widow plushie. "Well Ianto, I guess it's going to be up to me and Pep to make sure you have proper female role models. After all, we don't want you to turn out to be another Tony Stark, now do we?" Natasha looked to Pepper for confirmation. She'd never seen herself as a mother or even a mother-figure, _'_ _but_ _someone_ _has_ _to make_ _sure that this_ _adorable_ _little guy_ _doesn't turn out to be a_ _spoiled little_ _brat_ _.'_

Ianto wasn't really paying any attention to the conversation happening above his head; he was too busy talking to his beloved stuffed bunny. In his own private baby language, he was tell his furry friend that while he missed the nice lady who sparkled and glowed and took such good care of him when he first woke up, as well as the funny man who gave him his bunny and made him laugh, he was liking the newcomers. Babbling softly, he confided in his long-eared buddy that he especially liked the nice man who cuddled him so closely when he slept as well as the one with the golden hair who tickled his tummy and fed him good things to eat. They both made him feel safe and loved and he liked that feeling very much. Luckily his bunny agreed with him on all points, because that's what friends are for.

Having satisfied himself that Dummy wasn't near anything dangerous nor was he planning on triggering any disasters in the near future, Tony went back upstairs to the living room only to be greeted by a father's worst nightmare. Right before his eyes there were two over-grown girls playing dolly dress-up with his son! Judging by the clothes scattered around them, they'd been trying several outfits out on him.

Letting out a deep huff of indignation, Tony stalked over and snatched his son away from the two redheads. "I'll have you know that my son is _not_ a living doll for you ladies to play with!"

"If you could see the look on your face!" Natasha was absolutely tickled pink that she'd gotten under Tony Stark's skin. "We're not hurting him, and he's not complaining." She turned to look at Pepper; "Do you hear Ianto fussing about anything we're doing?"

Tony ignored Natasha's continued attempts to annoy him; he carried his son over to an armchair and sat down with Ianto standing on his lap facing him. It was time for their first father-son talk. "That's your Auntie Natasha; she can be a bit of a meanie and she likes to see your daddy suffer, so we don't listen to her or what she has to say. And if she ever starts saying bad things about your daddy you have my permission to ignore her completely because we all know it's not true, don't we?" Tony asked as he bounced Ianto up and down on his knee.

Ianto let out a happy coo and then a rapid-fire gabbling of 'Ianto-speak' before leaning forward and patting his father on the cheeks. In an act of typical Stark maturity Tony looked over the top of Ianto's head and stuck his tongue out at Natasha who just shook her head sadly. But there was a hint of a smile playing at the corners of her lips; even though she'd only seen them together for a few minutes it was crystal clear to her that Tony already loved the little boy and Ianto clearly adored Tony in return.

Now that her favourite new toy had been taken away from her, Natasha turned her attention to Pepper. "So when do I get to hear the story of how Ianto came to be here?"

"Come along then," smiling tolerantly, Pepper nodded her head towards the kitchen. "There's fresh coffee waiting and I'll tell you everything you need to know."

"Leaving on my account, ladies?" Steve appeared in the doorway with Bruce close behind him.

"Always," Natasha arched an eyebrow. "Do you intend to block the doorway all day?"

"Well, as a matter of fact…"

"Oh, do get out of the way!" Natasha pushed Steve aside, grabbed Pepper's hand and led the way out into the hallway.

Three pairs of eyes – Ianto was too busy introducing his bunny to the Black Widow plushie to pay any attention to what the adults were doing – followed the two redheaded females as they headed for the kitchen and they all took note of the way the women walked next to each other, much closer than they needed to given the width of the hall.

"You know, guys, if Barton were here he'd be making all kinds of smart remarks salted with profane words which I refuse to say in the presence of impressionable young ears, which reminds me; JARVIS, I have a new house rule. From this moment forward, there will be a swear jar set up in the kitchen and we will all be held responsible for what comes out of our mouths and anyone who swears must put money in the jar."

Bruce moaned loudly and opened his mouth to protest but one look from Steve silenced him before he'd even spoken. Tony was clearly taking the responsibility of raising a child to heart and _'I, for one, intend to support him one hundred per cent.'_

"Prices will be listed next to each word. JARVIS, you are in charge of monitoring profanity usage and enforcing the rule." Tony was going to make sure that his son grew up in a wholesome environment without hearing any strong langue. _'This crowd is gonna fund his University years.'_

"Right away, Sir. Shall I forward a list of banned words to Agent Barton once you have created it?" JARVIS almost actually sounded like he was looking forward to that part.

A bright and mischievous smile graced Tony's face. "Excellent idea, JARVIS, and to make sure Clint actually reads them forward the list to Coulson as well."

"Very well, Sir." If Tony wasn't mistaken JARVIS almost sounded smug about that part of his mission.

"Hey," Tony turned to see Steve looking at him with something akin to pride shining in his eyes and Iron Man's heart swelled with emotion as the blonde man continued in a low voice, "That's a good idea, Tony. I really admire the way you're taking this thing so seriously and I have to admit that fatherhood suits you. It's actually quite a turn-on." Steve found himself blushing furiously as he heard the last few words spill from his lips; he was absolutely mortified that his oh-so-private thoughts about Tony had just become public!

Momentarily gobsmacked by Steve's accidental admission – and he knew it had to have been accidental given the way the man's face and neck had instantly turned crimson with embarrassment – Tony chose to pretend he hadn't heard those last words. _'But this conversation is far from over, my friend,'_ Tony silently promised. "Actually saw it in an old black-and-white movie," he confessed with a cheeky grin. "But around here it seems like a good idea!" and he glanced meaningfully at Bruce.

Steve grinned as he followed Tony's eyes. "So, what are you going to do with all the money you'll no doubt earn?"

Tony shrugged his shoulders as he looked down at the boy in his arms who was looking up at him with open curiosity and pure trust shining in his big blue eyes. "I'll put it in account for Ianto to have when he gets older; basically he's earned it, so I guess he can spend it on whatever he wants like, you know, stuff like treats and toys. No doubt between Barton, me, and our wonderful boss, Fury, Ianto will have quite the nest egg to spend when he gets older."

Yes, the more he talked about it, the more it sounded like a good idea to Tony; it would give his son something to look forward to while teaching him the value of the dollar and the importance of good manners at the same time.

Anything else that was going to be said between them was lost as a massive crash of thunder almost right overhead nearly made the tower shake. The unexpected Mother Nature-like hello brought forth a gasp of alarm from her littlest resident, causing Ianto to tremble and fling himself against Tony's chest. In response, his father immediately tightened his grip on Ianto's frightened little body and began to comfort him. "Hey, little guy, there is no need to fear thunder, it won't hurt you, I promise, especially not this time because it's not a storm, it's just your Uncle Thor announcing his arrival."

Ianto peeked up at his father and then peered cautiously around the room; he had no idea what a Thor was, but he wasn't taking any chances on it sneaking up on him. Just in case, though, he pulled his bunny inside the close circle of his father's arms; bunny wasn't taking any chances either.

As Tony continued to talk softly to calm Ianto down Bruce and Steve shared a look over their heads. "We're going to have to talk to Thor about toning down his arrivals; it won't do any good to make Ianto upset every time Thor comes and goes," Bruce murmured under his breath as he shook his head and rolled his eyes. He should have realised that as a small child Ianto would be afraid of thunder; _'I sure as hell was when I was his age!'_ and then he cringed, wondering if JARVIS could tell he'd just sworn.

Steve's hands clenched at his sides and he forced himself to remain where he was as he fought the urge to join Tony in his attempts to calm Ianto. He couldn't explain _why_ he was so drawn to the young boy but the inexplicable need he felt all the way to his very soul was so intense he could taste it. He wanted to so badly to protect him to the very best of his abilities and he didn't know why.

"GREETINGS, FRIENDS!" Thor boomed as he arrived. The God of Thunder blinked in sudden confusion as he was abruptly and frantically shushed by everyone and then comprehension dawned as he noticed the tiny human cowering in Tony's arms. "FRIEND TONY, YOU DID NOT TELL ME YOU HAVE A SON?! THIS IS THE MOST JOYOUS OF NEWS!" Thor's voice, made even louder by excitement rattled the windowpanes in their frames.

Ianto's lower lip trembled as he stared wide-eyed at the big loud man and then he let out a terrified wail and buried his head in Tony's neck. He didn't like the thunderous one at all; he reminded him of someone who, while they didn't mean to, had hurt him in the past.

Feeling Ianto quivering violently against him Tony shot his newly-arrived teammate a fierce glare. "Thor, we've talked about this before, but now you have no choice; it's time to use your indoor voice because you have to stop scaring my son!"

To his credit, Thor did look ashamed for startling the young child to tears and wanting to make amends he moved slowly towards the boy and knelt down next to him, hoping not to frighten him any more than he already had. "I am sorry, little one, I did not mean to frighten you; can you forgive me?" he asked gently and in his quietest voice.

Shyly Ianto peeked his face out from Tony's neck his blue eyes full of tears and Thor's heart clenched; he felt lower than scum for frightening a child. Ianto could see the sadness in the man's eyes; it touched something in his heart and he slowly reached out for him. Momentarily taken aback by Ianto's generosity, Thor looked up at Tony with hope in his eyes. A sigh escaped Tony's lips as he lovingly handed Ianto over to Thor's waiting hands. "Be careful with him and watch your strength; Ianto's very breakable," Tony warned.

With gentleness none of the team had ever seen his use before Thor carefully cradled the small child in his large hands and held him close to his chest and then he looked into Ianto's blue eyes. Thor became mesmerised by the unexpected vision he saw staring back at him from the vast depths of Ianto's eyes. Looking even closer, the god found that he could actually see the golden particle of the vortex swirling around him and as a god, he was able to recognise the truth of the matter: Ianto was no ordinary child.

"What is it?" Tony was the first to notice the change that came over Thor and it worried him immensely. "What's wrong?"

The God of Thunder looked at Tony with a profoundly respectful attitude said, "He carries the gift of time in him. This is one of the Lady of Time's chosen ones. Your son has a great and wondrous destiny ahead of him."

Tony's eyes narrowed with concern; he didn't understand what Thor meant. "Is this gift going to hurt him in any way? And what exactly do you mean by the 'gift of time'?"

Thor shook his head. "Nay, my friend, you have nothing to worry about; Ianto is quite safe. Very few have ever been blessed with time's gift and never like this." He held the child up as though he were presenting him to the world. "Within him lies a piece of the Rift in Time and Space; when he gets older he will be able to control it, he'll be able to move through time by mere thought. Your son is truly something special, perhaps one of the most unique creatures on the planet."

Tony's chest puffed up with pure parental pride even though he was clearly worried about what dangers lay ahead for someone who'd been blessed with gifts from time. "This gift of his, it's going to make people come after him, isn't it?" Tony needed to know if his son was in any danger and if so, how much and from whom.

Thor could not lie to a teammate and more importantly not to one he called friend, not about his son. "Aye, I am afraid there will be those who seek his power and those who will seek to control him and those who want the gifts he possesses. We must keep him safe."

"Damn right we will!" Steve growled vehemently, surprising everyone with his automatic defence of Ianto and his less-than-polite language; it was not something they were used to hearing from the living legend.

"This is a new side to you, Captain, I rather like it," Tony nodded approvingly. In fact, Tony actually found Steve's fervent albeit profane desire to take care of his son rather hot in some weird way, not that he would ever, _ever_ admit to having a fantasy or two or ten of hearing Steve talk dirty to him while in various states of undress. No, he would certainly _never_ think of Steve Rogers like that at _all_ _'Oh God, I am such a fool!'_ Tony silently groaned as he forced images of half-naked Steve to the very back of his mind. _'I've just been told that my son is in danger because he's some kind of miracle child and all I can think about is getting Steve into my bed!'_

While Thor might not fully grasp all the strange customs that human's had even he could see that there was so much more than simple friendship between his two teammates. _'I will never understand human courtship; it all seems so unnecessarily complicated.'_ Of course Thor knew from bitter experience that Asgardian courtship practices weren't all that simple either. _'Friends, I just hope you do not make the same mistakes that I did.'_

Thor tried not to flinch as he unintentionally re-opened an old wound yet again. He sincerely regretted the actions he hadn't taken towards the one who held his heart. Oh don't misunderstand him; he cared for Jane but he just wasn't sure if she was the one truly meant for him. _'What am I to do when the only one who makes my heart truly sing with pure love and joy is so far out of my reach.'_

The god knew that there were far too many hurt feelings and too much pain festering between him and Loki for them to ever be anything more than brothers. He could not believe how much it still pained him to admit that the stupid mistakes he'd made were keeping him from finding eternal happiness with the man he loved.

Determined to keep his inner turmoil to himself, Thor turned his attention to Bruce; he knew that his friends did not mind answering questions for him as he continued to learn about them. "Is this another one of your human courtship rituals? Do you often fawn all over the object of your affections because of their particular use of language?"

Amused by the way Thor viewed humans, Bruce shrugged his shoulders. "Sadly, yes it is."

The God of Thunder just shook his head. "I shall truly never understand humans."

"Don't feel too bad, my friend, I'm human and _I_ don't understand us half of the time," Bruce admitted with a small rueful smile on his lips. "May be someday…" he let his voice trail off.

"Yes," Thor sighed, "maybe someday."


End file.
